


Rollercoaster

by trashexpress



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/F, Flash Thompson is highkey not redeemable he’s just an Ass folks, I swear to you like every character is gay, M/M, Post Spider-Man Homecoming, Trans Peter Parker, Trans!Peter Parker, accept my trans son, looking at you OCs, protect my trans son, that’s not even a lie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-05-09 12:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 91,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14715647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashexpress/pseuds/trashexpress
Summary: “So, you like Spider-Man?”





	1. Sweatshirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> three best friends x2, a hardcore crush, flustered Peter, and a Spider-Man sweatshirt (leaving Peter Benjamin Parker thoroughly shook)

Caden Young was the first guy to have Peter Parker's full attention. Caden was a grade above Peter, and the boys were in most of the same classes. He was good-hearted and had a good head on his shoulders. He was responsible, smart, witty at times, and gave Peter a run for his money in the fact that they both were at the top of their shared classes. 

They were both in advanced classes. Peter, being highly intelligent, was enrolled in classes usually taken by students in junior year while Caden was a junior but felt unchallenged in the regular classes and was moved to advanced placement. They never really talked, but that didn't stop Peter from having feelings towards him. 

Caden was the first guy Peter had really liked since coming out as trans a year earlier, and not just the thinking someone's cute kind of like either. He had an intense feeling towards the older boy, and Peter found that kind of terrifying. 

"So, I see you've gotten past your Liz stage," Ned commented, placing his lunch tray next to Peter's. Peter continued to stare at Caden and was so intensely staring at the boy that he hadn't acknowledged Ned at the table. 

Ned had purposely gotten to lunch late because he knew something was up with his best friend. He should've known it was some new crush, but he assumed Peter didn't want him to know, because Ned hadn't recalled Peter mentioning Caden as often as he did with Liz.

"Oh, yeah, he's been staring at that boy all lunch period so far," Michelle commented, looking up from her book for a split second. "I swear, you guys are so obvious... if I didn't have any other friends I'd ditch you."

"Yeah, yeah. You've been saying that since last year." Ned waved a dismissing hand at her comment as the girl continued reading. 

Peter finally dragged his eyes away from his newest—not that he would ever admit it—crush. "You know... he wears a different Spider-Man sweatshirt every single day."

"We know," Ned said, laughing. "You tell us every single day." He began to eat his lunch as he saw Peter turning to stare at the boy again. "Dude, just talk to him."

"What? No. No," Peter turned his head quickly towards his best friend, immediately shooting down the idea. "Are you kidding, why would you think I'd be able to do that?"

Michelle snickered in her seat, not trying at all to hide her amusement. "Because you have a huge crush on him? Probably bigger than the one on dear Liz."

Ned nodded in agreement and smirked at Peter. "If you don't go over and talk to him, I'll bring him over here," he chuckled when Peter's eyes widened. "You know I'll do it."

Peter bit his lip in thought. "Um, when will this talking to him have to take place?"

"Stop stalling, and right now." The boy next to him stood up, ready to invite Caden over to their table. Peter pulled him back to his seat by his shirt sleeve. 

"Right now?!" he whispered in a harsh voice. His voice squeaked slightly, causing his cheeks to turn red. "I can't, Ned... come on."

"I'll be back with the love of your life," Ned replied, prying Peter's hands off of his shirt sleeve. He walked over to Caden's table, watching Peter sulk with his head in his hands.

Michelle glanced over at Peter and laughed loudly. "What's so hard about talking to someone you like? They're just a person."

Peter looked up and sighed. "Because you have to, you know... speak, and I'm not sure what other grades gossip about! The Penis Parker joke could be going around the whole school, and I'm not even aware of it." He turned towards the direction Caden and Ned were. He saw them talking, only imagining what embarrassing things Ned could be saying. Ned pointed to Peter, still talking to Caden. Caden looked over at Peter and gave him a small wave which made Peter look away, blushing.

Peter heard footsteps walking towards his table. Michelle turned around and then back towards her book. "They're headed over here, now's your time to run," she joked in a whisper, but she didn't know that Peter would've gladly taken that escape route. 

He contemplated running so much that he was fully prepared to do it when Ned shouted out his name. "Damn it, Ned," he mumbled under his breath. He gave the two boys a small smile, waving at them. "H-Hey, Ned," he cleared his throat, trying subtly to lower his voice to a deeper octave which he'd been training himself to do. "Hey, Caden."

Ned had an accomplished smile on his face as he sat down next to his friend once more. He folded his hands and smiled at the two, looking back and forth between the boys. 

"Ned here was just telling me that you have some questions with the chemistry work, Peter?" Caden asked, sitting across from him. He pushed his black framed glasses up his nose in thought. "I guess even one of the smartest people can get tripped up, right?"

"R-Right. Yeah, totally. I mean... yeah," Peter shut himself up and instead nodded in agreement once more. "Um, I'll just get the assignment out of my bag here," he told Caden, purposefully avoiding his gaze in embarrassment at his sheer awkwardness.

Peter wanted to die of embarrassment for several reasons. The two most important ones he could think of were: 1. He was making a complete idiot of himself in front of his crush, and 2. The high-pitched sound of his voice compared to Caden's mellow, naturally deep voice caused Peter to experience slight dysphoria.

While leaning down to reach his backpack, Peter's elbow clashed with his lunch tray. That caused the school food, and not to mention the chocolate milk, to fall onto his lower chest and lap. He gasped as the lunch tray clattered onto the floor with a loud, echoing sound. 

Peter's usual baggy sweatshirt he had on was ruined, milk seeping through the material quickly. He stood up, knowing everyone was watching, and he frantically grabbed some napkins and brushed off what he could. Finally, the stares became completely overwhelming, and he raced out of the cafeteria and into the closest bathroom. 

"Idiot, idiot," he scolded himself, clenching his teeth together. "This wouldn't even have happened if you could just talk to people, it's really not that hard."

"You might wanna get out of that milk stained sweater and scold yourself in dry clothes," a voice said from behind him. Peter whipped his head around, meeting Caden's bright blue eyes.

Peter looked towards the floor, rocking back and forth on his sneakers. "I don't exactly have another shirt, you know? I didn't prepare to be embarrassed in front of the whole school."

Before Peter could protest, Caden started taking off his Spider-Man sweatshirt and handed it to him. "C'mon, Peter, you have to plan for these things," he joked, smiling at the boy. 

Peter's heart pounded against his chest as Caden smiled. He grinned in return, mostly because he enjoyed the other boy's smile quite a bit. He took the sweatshirt, a bit nervous to wear something the boy he secretly liked wore only a few seconds beforehand and even more nervous to basically change in front of Caden. "Thanks for this," he said softly as Caden watched him expectantly.

Peter pointed to a stall, watching Caden nod understandingly. "I just don't get changed in front of anyone really," he explained once in the privacy of the stall. He pulled off the milk covered sweatshirt and looked down at his thin tank top with an evident binder underneath. He put on Caden's sweatshirt, thankful that it was baggy as all of his own. 

"Don't think I'm lending you my pants as well," Caden told him, pointing to the boy as he walked out of the stall. The sight of Peter wearing his own sweatshirt made his cheeks turn a shade of pink. "Oh," he remembered, tossing Peter's backpack close to his feet. "I grabbed your bag quickly."

Peter blushed vibrantly, acknowledging Caden's eyes on him. "Thank you," he told the glasses wearing boy. "For the sweatshirt and getting my bag and stuff..."

"Ah, it's no big deal," Caden answered, shrugging. "I was getting too hot anyways." He gestured to the blue collared shirt he had worn underneath the sweatshirt. Peter noted that the dark blue of the collared shirt definitely brought out the bright, clear blue of Caden's eyes. 

Peter smiled down at the sweatshirt, pointing to it. "So, you like Spider-Man?"

Caden's eyes brightened, smiling wider at Peter. He chuckled softly then answered. "Yeah, it's kinda hard to tell," he said jokingly. "but yeah. He's awesome."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's great! Did you see when he stopped those thieves last week?" 

"Which time? That's pretty much all he does besides destroying evil as well," Caden told Peter jokingly. The boy's wide smile turned into a small grin as he looked down at their backpacks. "Uh, do you still want help with chem? I brought my stuff too, and we can sit and work here if you don't feel like facing the cafeteria again."

Peter laughed and nodded. He flashed Caden a smile and sat on the bathroom floor next to his bag. "Yeah, I didn't do the homework, because I just really don't understand it..." Peter lied through his teeth, pulling out the slightly crumpled worksheet. He hadn't done his homework because of obvious, crime fighting reasons. 

The boy adjusted his glasses and gave Peter a small, gentle smile. He opened his folder and began thoroughly explaining through the class's notes that Peter paid close attention to. Well, mostly because it gave Peter an excuse to sneak glances at Caden's lips. 

-

"And, then you guys kissed or something right? Tell me you finally kissed!" Caden's best friend, Jackie Steele, exclaimed on the bus ride home. 

Caden shushed her loudly, making her roll her eyes. "C'mon, C, you've been crushing on this guy for centuries! You completely blew it!"

Reese Yu turned to them, letting his headphones sling around his neck. "Do you really think he has trouble with chem, dude? He's got the highest class average, almost tied with you. Think a little!"

Jackie gestured wildly to Reese at his statement. "This is what I'm telling you!"

Caden rolled his eyes at them, laughing softly. "Guys, maybe he's had a lot of stress on himself. You never know."

"Just saying that you should've kissed him..." Reese replied, putting his headphones back on. Reese always liked to pretend he was too cool for friends of any kind, but Jackie and Caden knew the truth.

Jackie smirked at Caden, eventually smiling widely at him. "Ask him out. Do it. Now. Today. Text him."

Caden laughed, looking away from her for a second. "First off, I don't have his number-"

"That's an easy problem we can fix."

"Okay..." he said with a slight questioning tone and a raised eyebrow. Being Jackie's best friend for years, he had figured out easily to go along with her wild plans and not ask questions along the way. She found information quickly, and he didn't bat an eyelash. "Secondly, I don't even know if he likes guys. I don't know about you, but that's a pretty big make or break deal."

"Are you hearing yourself? How can anyone not think you're the cutest little thing?" Jackie said with a huge smile. "Well, cutest six foot giant..."

Caden didn't think anything of this statement. To others it would seem like Jackie was hitting on Caden or like their relationship was one of those cliche movies where the best friend is desperately in love with the other who is oblivious to the entire thing. Caden and Jackie weren't like that at all. They were just gay. Both of them preferred their own gender, and that's how it always was between them. No secret feelings, no head over heels in love with the other. It's one of the reasons they were each other's best friend; they worked well together. 

"No, but in reality he's probably bi or pan. Maybe he doesn't like to label himself which is totally fine, too. The fact of the matter is that he's totally crushing on you." The girl assured him with a warm smile.

"And, that you missed your shot," Reese added, turning away from them as quickly as he had added the comment.

Jackie took Caden's phone out of his hand swiftly. She put in a number, not allowing Caden to see until she was finished. She looked at her own phone, double checking the number then handed it back to him.

"Peter Parker's number at your service," she announced, pointing at the contact she had created in Caden's phone. "I heard he's a giant nerd like you, wouldn't wanna date that guy," she joked, rolling her eyes.

"You wouldn't want to date any guy," Reese told her as they all got off the bus together. "Caden however..."

The other boy blushed, covering his cheeks with his hands. He bashfully smiled at them as he walked a few paces ahead.

"It's called joking," Jackie said, rolling her eyes once more. 

"Hey, Caden?" Reese asked, causing the taller boy to turn around. The trio was where Jackie and Caden walked to their street while Reese walked across the street to his own block. 

"Yeah?" the blue eyed boy questioned, pushing his glasses up with his knuckles. 

"Where'd your Spider-Man sweatshirt go?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first ao3 work so I’m still getting used to everything, I hope you all enjoy the fic so far eep


	2. Observing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ reminiscing on Peter’s friendship, background to le story, multiple gay crushes, a sex talk, sassy Karen, and a Spidey sighting

Michelle Jones was always observant of Peter Parker way before they became friends. She noticed when he ditched stereotypical girl colors and started wearing more androgynous or masculine clothing and the colors associated with that look.

MJ, as she preferred to be called, became Ned and Peter's friend more through force than usual ways of becoming friends. She knew it wasn't normal, because she knew that she wasn't normal by society's standards. And, she liked it that way. She embraced her weirdness.

She sat herself down abruptly at prepubescent Ned and Peter's lunch table with a book in hand, and the arrangement stuck. None of them questioned it, and throughout the rest of middle school and the years of high school, they all remained sitting together. 

Being naturally observant, MJ immediately accepted Peter's wishes to be known as Peter in the seventh grade and on. He was quite surprised at this, but she assured him by the end of their awkward conversations that she would call him Peter and use him/he pronouns from that point on.

The negative attitudes other students had towards Peter increased as he started to become more himself. As he bought only masculine clothing and informed teachers and students in his classes of his new name, the criticism only got worse.

Ned and MJ both expected this. MJ, being more distant to Peter, comforted him through kind phrases and compliments while Ned comforted the boy the most. 

Peter tried to hide his feelings through the hard times with the critics and questionings and not to mention his uncle's devastating death. 

When he came out as bisexual then as trans the summer before ninth grade, everything became increasingly more violent. His aunt and uncle, who raised him from when he was small, were called multiple times to Peter's school as a result of endless bullying.

During the year of ninth grade, when Peter was the age of fourteen, a burglar snuck into the Parker's household. Ben Parker, Peter's uncle, came home from work late, surprising the criminal which caused the masked thief to shoot Ben.

Peter and his Aunt May grieved for a long time over Ben's death, forming a closer relationship as they did. Around this time in his life, Peter began to realize his powers that he would eventually use to fight the evil around the area he lived in New York City. 

May and Ben, being huge LGBT advocates, were both accepting of Peter's decision to start the process of transitioning to male. On Peter's fifteenth birthday, the June of his freshmen year, May surprised him with a vial of testosterone and syringe which was a confirmation that he was able to start transitioning. She wished Ben was there to see the happiness in Peter's eyes and how his smile widened.

But, May was thankful Ben wasn't able to go through the heartbreak she had endured when she heard Peter was getting bullied again towards the end of his freshmen year. 

Flash Thompson was the bully. Everyone knew it, and it wasn't like he was trying to hide it. He and his posse of loser freshmen bullied Peter by yelling out countless transphobic phrases to him and occasionally calling Peter by his deadname. Other kids chose to get violent and physically attack Peter around school property. 

Overall, Peter's beginning of his tenth grade year had been smooth sailing with the occasional Penis Parker remark. 

But, when Peter started paying more attention to the older boy Caden Young, Michelle knew Flash would jump at this opportunity to harass Peter thoroughly. 

-

"Did you guys see Parker make an idiot out of himself at lunch today?" Flash and his group howled with laughter on Michelle's bus ride home. "Or, should I say herself."

MJ held the book in her hand so tightly that her knuckles started turning white while her face turned red in anger. She was happy that out of all the days Peter didn't take the bus, that particular day was the one. 

She whipped her head around, glaring at Flash and the other boys. "What did you just say?" she asked slowly but with an obvious edge to her voice. 

The boys slowly turned their heads towards Flash, clearly not wanting to be under Michelle's wrath. Flash chuckled, shaking his head. "How didn't you know? Aren't you, like, in love with Parker or something?" he scrunched his nose at her, making a face. "Didn't know you were gay, Michelle..."

MJ wiped her hands on her pants calmly, quickly switching to a seat across the aisle from Flash. She leaned close to his ear, speaking through clenched teeth. "Listen here, Flash. Parker has a first name, and it isn't Penis, it's Peter. Maybe you should start respecting people's pronouns before I walk into the main office tomorrow and causally bring up with the secretary that I heard some transphobic, disgusting talk on the bus ride home that was directed at my friend. What's his name, Flash? It's Peter."

She leaned back from the boy's ear, raising her eyebrows in a challenging manner at Flash's posse who were staring at her. Flash himself was wide eyed and unable to speak for a few seconds because of shock. Finally, it was MJ's stop, and she stood up with her bag slung over her shoulder and patted Flash hard on the back.

"And, don't think I won't hesitate, Flash. There are cameras all around this bus," she pointed to one positioned directly at them. "and they can play back audio... even audio from months back. You wouldn't want that getting to our principal, now would you?" she kindly asked, walking away from them slowly. She turned her head to look at the other members of his group, and she pointed at them accusingly. "That goes for the rest of you, too. You better start respecting Peter before the school administrators have something to do with it."

-

After finishing homework that night, Peter and Ned were hanging out in Peter's bedroom. Ned was always at Peter's house, and that night they were busy testing out the superhero's suit's new settings and powers. 

Ned was always at the Parker's household, but most Thursdays during the first months of the school year, he always stayed late and most times stayed the night. May had put herself out in the dating world again, and at the end of Peter's summer, she announced that she met a nice woman while on her lunch break at work.

The two, May and Harper, hit it off quickly and began dating shortly afterwards. Thursdays were date night, so Peter always invited Ned over. 

"You still haven't told me, ya know," Ned causally said, glancing around Peter's room. Peter took off his Spider-Man mask, shaking out his hair. 

"What are you talking about?" he asked, skillfully climbing up the wall onto the ceiling. He saw Ned reaching for Caden's sweatshirt, and he shot out a web to take it out of his reach.

"That!" Ned exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the sweatshirt. "Dude, that's Caden's sweater, why do you have it?"

Peter landed on his bedroom floor without making a sound. He nodded, blushing slightly and avoiding eye contact with Ned. "Y-Yeah, I know it is. He just offered it to me when mine was trashed from the lunch incident."

Ned nodded understandingly then, because Peter was his best friend, he smirked jokingly at him. "So, you didn't even give it back to him in chem? It's last period... You know, it's actually kind of funny that we all have chemistry together. Well, you and Caden definitely do, and I'm just there watching like you guys are some lovers in a movie or something."

Peter blushed more vibrantly, running a hand through his hair. "No, Ned, I didn't think about that!" he snapped, beginning to take off his Spider-Man suit. 

Ned rolled his eyes then looked at his computer next to his side. "I'm going to ignore that annoyance I hear. I don't think Caden would appreciate you hurting your best-"

Ned's voice was cut off by the sharp chirp of Peter's text tone. Ned glanced at the boy's phone, smiling widely at him. "Speak of the devil," he said, handing the phone to Peter with the same smile.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows, reading the text quickly. "It's... Caden?" he curiously asked aloud. "How'd he get my number?" Peter looked to Ned as if he had the answer.

"How about you ask him?" Ned told him, gesturing to his phone while shaking his head.

"Yeah. I can do that... I think," Peter mumbled, looking at the text once more.

Hey Peter it's Caden I know it's kinda strange to get a message close to 11 at night but I decided I'd send something so I don't just have your contact sitting there in my phone um anyways have a good night I'll see you tomorrow at chem and possibly lunch

Peter smiled widely, preparing himself to text something back. He typed slowly and felt Ned's eyes watching him intensely. He finally came up with something semi-normal and sent it without thinking: 

Hi Caden it's Peter obviously and it's fine I'm usually up late anyways I mean not like that not in a sex sense wait I shouldn't have said that I shouldn't have said you know sex UM moving on ha how'd you get my number (not that I mind just wondering)

Ned let out a low whistle, breaking out into a fit of laughter at Peter's attempt to be smooth. Peter shook his head at the message, wanting to throw his phone across the room. 

"Why did I just say the word sex twice while sending a message to a guy I like?!" Peter exclaimed, groaning loudly. 

Ned shook his head, feeling the secondhand embarrassment of Peter's actions. "Dude..."

Peter jumped in surprise when his phone chimed again. He grabbed his phone that had fallen a few inches away from him because of the jolt of surprise through his body. He looked at the message presented on his screen. It was from Caden again, and he smiled softly at the screen.

Oh yeah my best friend Jackie got it somehow and just put it in my phone I'm not sure where/who she got it from like she wouldn't even tell me when we walked down our block or anything (we're neighbors we don't walk down each other's block for fun or anything)

Peter joined Ned on the bottom bunk of his bed, showing him the message. Ned snickered at the previous text and pointed at Peter's embarrassment. "That's one way to sext-"

Peter groaned, cutting him off. "Just," he sighed. "Who do you think would give Jackie my number?"

"It's obviously Michelle, Pete," Ned answered, drawing his eyebrows together at Peter's confusion. "MJ's totally crushing on that girl, and they text all the time. If anyone was to give Jackie your number, it would be MJ for sure."

Peter nodded, tapping his fingers on his phone screen. "Huh," he finally said, nodding his head at Ned's answer. "Hey, do you think I could go to Caden's house? Like, swing by there Spidey style because he likes Spider-Man..."

Ned quickly approved the idea, telling Peter it would be a cool thing for Caden to see his hero in action. "But, do you even know where he lives?"

Peter shook his head, blushing slightly. He widened his eyes then called MJ. He showed his phone screen to Ned, smiling excitedly. "She would totally know where Jackie and Caden live!"

"Yeah, hey, MJ!" Peter greeted the girl on the phone. He could picture her rolling her eyes over his excitement.

"Hey," she sighed. "What do you want, Peter? Ned realized you were an even bigger loser than him and left?"

Peter rolled his eyes at that. "N-No... pfft. I was just wondering..."

"Spit it out already, dude, I paused my women's rights documentary to answer your ever so urgent call," she told him, seemingly annoyed.

"Why are you watching a documentary on women's rights at," he checked his phone time. "11:26? Also, do you by any chance know where Jackie and Caden get off on their bus?" 

"Equal rights have no bedtime, Peter, and no. Why would you even ask me that?" 

"Well, Ned told me-" Peter started before getting cut off by Ned. 

At that point, Ned was tired of listening to MJ change the subject and avoid questions, and he took Peter's phone. 

"Listen, MJ, we know for certain that you have a crush on Jackie. Well, I knew. Peter was oblivious, because he's too busy focusing on Caden to notice anyone else around him," Ned chuckled at Peter's embarrassed expression. "Speaking of Peter, did you give Jackie his number to give to Caden?" 

MJ probably gave some huffed out answer then finally admitted to doing so. Peter watched Ned intently as he nodded. "Yeah, we- I mean, I- figured you did it because you would just do anything for your sweet Jackie, now, wouldn't you?" Ned paused for a second before almost dropping the phone. "No! No, don't hang up. Just give Peter the address first!"

Peter grabbed the phone quickly. He heard MJ practically scream the address in his ear, and he copied it down in the notes of his phone before she hung up. Peter turned to Ned, shaking his head until they broke out into laughter. 

-

"Make sure you tell me the instant you hear May or anyone else coming in, alright?" Peter told Ned, pulling on his Spider-Man mask.

"Pete, I know. Stop. Stalling." Ned sighed, shaking his head at the boy's stalling techniques.

"I'm not, pfft, what are you even saying, dude?" Peter questioned, evident that he was lying. Ned pushed him towards his bedroom window and put on his headset. "Okay, I'm gonna go."

Ned nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "You can hear me alright?" he asked through his headset that connected to Peter's suit. Peter nodded and climbed out onto his fire escape.

He swung over the streets of the city, repeating the address over and over in his head. "Peter, why are you out so late?" the computerized female voice in his suit asked curiously. 

The abrupt question made Peter jump, causing him to almost lose his grip on his webbing. "Karen!" Peter exclaimed, once safely on a rooftop of a building. "You can't just do things like that! I almost had a heart attack!"

"No, you didn't," she replied instantly. "Your heart rate only raised a bit. Just like it does when you see that boy. Caden is his name?"  

"Shut up, Karen," Peter mumbled, blushing underneath his mask. 

He shot out the thin webs, practically flying over the city. He stopped, grabbing onto a lamp pole when he heard police sirens. The sound of glass shattering a few blocks away made Peter turn his head in the direction. 

It was Caden's block. Something dangerous was happening. "Karen, make sure there's enough webbing for some crazy web grenades, okay?" Peter asked kindly. "Please," he added softly, smiling although Karen was obviously a computer.

Peter, cautiously and quietly, made it to the top of Caden's apartment building. He narrowed his eyes, looking to the building across the street. He saw a shadowy figure lurking around a still and dark apartment. 

Peter took a running start and skillfully landed in the apartment without making a sound. He suddenly realized the figure wasn't just one person, there were two people searching around the apartment. 

Peter watched quietly as the people looked through drawers and cabinets in the kitchen area rather noisily. He climbed up to the ceiling directly above them, ready to shoot a web to capture them.

"Hey, guys!" he exclaimed in the quiet apartment. "While you're down there do you think you could whip me up some breakfast? This spider's nocturnal," he joked, causing the two to jump and look up at him.

Peter shot out a web capturing one of them and throwing them into the granite countertop. He watched as the other ran, trying to climb out of the window. "Not so fast!" he said, tying the other man up in a web.

The man grabbed a pair of scissors off of a children's coloring book. He tried many times to cut the web while Peter watched in amusement. "Child scissors? Really, man?"

A light flicked on in the hallway, shedding a dim light into the other rooms. The two men turned their heads towards the light, distracted for a second while Peter used the time advantage to tie up the man he had previously thrown into the counter. He shot out a web to their face and threw them into the dining room table, hearing them land with crashing chairs. 

"Peter, what the hell is happening over there?" Ned asked, his voice slightly garbled. 

"Oh, you know, just your average Spider-Man business," he answered while flinging the across the room into the arm of a leather chair. "I'm across the street from his apartment building, I just saw some burglars or something and felt the need to get involved."

Peter heard a girl's voice down the hallway. "Oh my god, C, I- there's men in my apartment!" the voice said quietly.

Jackie. Peter was in Jackie's apartment. Right across the street from Caden's. 

"Wait, I'm going out to see. Thing's have been quiet for a few seconds," she whispered, cautiously tiptoeing into the living room. 

She stopped when she noticed Peter standing there in his Spider-Man suit. She gasped, her eyes widening. Peter chuckled, waving slightly before shooting another web at the man who was groaning.

"Caden!" she screeched, her eyes fixated on Spider-Man. "Spider-Man is in my apartment! Oh my god, you've got to come to your window right this second! I don't care that it's midnight, you have to see the hero of your dreams," she sang to the older boy in a joking manner.

Peter's heart thumped against his chest. "There it is," Karen pointed out, sounding amused. "Caden. I was right. Caden Young."

"Wait, Peter, where'd you go are you okay?" Ned asked, slight panic in his voice. Peter hated worrying people he cared about, but he couldn't exactly answer Ned right away in fear of exposing his identity. 

Jackie turned to the superhero as he cleared his throat. "Oh my god, I can't believe you're here! In my apartment! My best friend is so in love with you, oh my gosh. I hope you don't care that he's a guy. You better not be a homophobic asshole," she narrowed her eyes at him in a threatening manner.

"I-I'm not, miss," Peter told her, deepening his voice almost like magic. The months leading up to his T injections and usually when he filmed himself, Peter liked to use a deeper voice to imagine what it would sound like at the end of his transition. It made his usual, his pitched voice seem almost unrecognizable. 

Peter turned his head, his voice still trained to a deeper octave. "I'm fine, guy in the chair, just talking to the girl whose apartment I found the burglars in," he notified Ned, careful not to say any names.

Jackie squealed again, jumping up and down. "Here! Oh! There he is!" she said to Peter, pointing to the window across from where Peter came in through.

Peter held up his pointer finger to signal he would need a second. "One second, miss. I just need to get these guys out of here. Have you called the police?" he asked Jackie, feeling his suit cool off his nervous sweating. 

Jackie stuck up her middle finger through the window at Caden before turning to the masked superhero. "Y-Yeah, I did. Sorry about freaking out before. I guess they'll be here in a few minutes."

Peter laughed quietly. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." He gathered the men up next to each other, tying a few tight webs around them and attached the end of the web to the second fire escape of the building. He jumped down and let them dangle in the air before checking their pockets and jackets to make sure they didn't take anything of Jackie's or her family's. 

He found nothing and climbed up to Jackie's fire escape again. "They're all good. They didn't steal anything," he told her, clearing his throat afterwards. Talking in a deeper tone for a while strained Peter's throat which is why he didn't try to do it as much, but sometimes it was involuntarily.

Jackie smiled widely at the masked hero, then she pointed across the street from her. Peter turned his head to see a tired eyed Caden wearing Spider-Man, web designed pajama pants. 

Peter pointed to them, astonished. "Nice pants!" he exclaimed, extremely surprised they even made merchandise like pajamas for the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.

Caden blushed vibrantly, trying hard to laugh it off. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing. I'm sorry. Ignore everything Jackie says, too."

"Don't worry about it," Peter told him, turning to Jackie who was giggling behind him.

"He's such a nerd," she told him quietly. Caden groaned, clearly wanting to know what she was saying. "I told Spider-Man how you're a giant nerd, alright?!" she yelled across the street with a smile on her face. "But, a cute one so, you know, he'll save your ass or something... when you fall head over heels in love with him!"

Caden let out a loud laugh that quickly turned into a yawn. Peter smiled widely at the sight of the boy. "That was actually a good joke, Jackie. I'm proud of you. Now, as much as I'd love to freak out over this moment, I think Spidey here has some more crime to fight in the huge city of New York."

Jackie nodded, agreeing with him. She smiled gently at Peter. "See? He means well. Um, thank you a lot for saving me and my family and everything." She watched as a police car came barreling down the street. 

Peter gave them a thumbs up, and they took off with the criminals in the backseat. He turned back to Jackie. "It's what I do. Don't mention it. And, hey, you can tell your friend there that Spider-Man thinks he's cute, okay?" he lowered his voice but grinned even though Jackie wasn't able to see his excitement.

Jackie's smile widened. Her bright eyes glistened. "Will do!" she exclaimed quietly. She ducked back into her apartment, smiling as she texted Caden the huge news.

Caden spoke out, making Peter jump in surprise. "Hey," he called out, chuckling at the superhero's evident shock at someone still being there. Peter turned towards him, waiting for a followup. "Thanks for saving my best friend, Spidey."

"It's my job," Peter replied before taking off in the direction of his own apartment. Once out of Caden's earshot he spilled all of the details to Ned, smiling all the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST OFF THANKS FOR THE KUDOS AND READS AND THE CUTE COMMENTS I LOVE THAT THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH 
> 
> secondly...  
> I’m just rereading over this and I want to add that Peter obviously always knew he was trans, he always knew he was a boy and Ben and May knew that too, but you know middle school is a super tough time and he was bullied by Flash and his group to grow out his hair and wear more “girly” clothes to seem more feminine like he was supposed to be (this topic will pop up more in chap 10-ish ;) but I just wanted to clear things up)


	3. Smart and Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lesbian May, lesbian MJ, Caden gushing over Spidey, salty Reese, Peter Parker being a mess is bi culture

"Hey, guys, how was your night?" May asked Ned and Peter as they strolled into the kitchen the next morning. She sipped her coffee while flipping through the day's newspaper. 

Peter looked down at his shoes, smiling at the night's events. "It was, you know, pretty normal," he answered, pulling on a sweater. He quickly packed Caden's Spider-Man sweatshirt carefully into his bag before May could ask any questions.

"Yeah, we didn't do much. It's not like we were out stopping robbers or anything," Ned commented which earned him a look from Peter as they sat down to eat breakfast. 

May brought the boys over pancakes, smiling at them. "Well, I sure hope not. That's pretty dangerous, don't you think? Now, eat up."

They obliged, eating the chocolate chip pancakes hungrily. Peter took a drink of his chocolate milk, smiling at his aunt. "So, how was date night?" he asked, smirking a bit. 

Ned chuckled, looking at Peter's aunt expectantly. May rolled her eyes at the two, smiling despite the stares. "We both had a nice time," she checked her watch absentmindedly. "No more questions, you two. Peter, I'll see you when I get home from work, alright?"

Peter nodded, smiling up at his aunt. She pulled on her jacket and kissed the top of his head. "Bye, boys!" she called out, waving to them. 

"Breakfast was delicious!" Ned replied loudly before she shut the door behind her. He chuckled, nudging Peter with his elbow. "So, May was home late last night..." he said, giving Peter a smirk. 

Peter scrunched his nose, sighing at Ned. "Dude, I really don't want to think about my aunt's sex life, thank you very much."

"Oh, I thought you'd be used to it after discussing your own sex life with Caden," Ned shrugged, smiling slightly at Peter who was blushing.

Peter glared at him, walking towards the bathroom. "Shut up," he grumbled. "Hey, do you need a toothbrush? We have, like, a million spare ones here." He peeked out of the bathroom, with his toothbrush in his mouth, to look at Ned. 

"I always bring my own, have you never known this?" Ned laughed, taking out a plastic bag from his backpack which contained a toothbrush and his retainer case. 

Peter finished up quickly, shutting the door so he could put on his binder then pull on a loose T-shirt over it. He put on a sweater for more layers and gave himself a small thumbs up in the mirror. 

-

On their way to school, Ned and Peter joined MJ on the bus. She shut her book to look up at them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Flash and gave him a warning glance.

"So," she cleared her throat. "Why did you need Caden's address? I didn't want to ask last night, because honestly I didn't care at the time. But, now I do."

Peter gave her a small smile. "I just wanted to pay him a visit... give him back his sweatshirt."

"Really?" She arched an eyebrow at him, smirking. "At midnight?"

"It does get cold sometimes around that area, MJ," Ned added, trying to help out Peter as best as he could. "Especially, you know, around midnight...?"

MJ rolled her eyes, clearly not believing them. "So, you're telling me the boy doesn't have any other warm and comfy Spider-Man sweatshirts he could wear? Peter, don't you say that he has a new one, like, everyday? And, why do you even have his sweatshirt?"

Peter open his mouth in surprise. He stammered a bit before fully answering. "Enough about Caden and me! How's, um, Jackie?" 

Ned chuckled, smirking at Michelle. "Yeah, MJ, how is the woman of your dreams? Have you guys texted yet today or are you saving that in trade for time to spend together? Privately."

MJ narrowed her eyes at the boys, her cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink. "Everything is going well, and I don't know why either of you feel the need to know." She crossed her arms, turning back to her book.

"Because, MJ," Ned told her. "Friends need to be updated on every single thing happening in the other's love life."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Not every single thing, but it would've been nice to know you have a crush on Jackie."

MJ continued to ignore them, reading for the duration of the bus ride. Ned and Peter finally stopped pestering her and started to discuss Ned's new Star Wars Death Star Lego model that they were planning to build.

-

Walking into the school to Peter was pretty much like walking into a war zone. Flash being on his bus wasn't even the worst of it, because that day he wasn't obnoxious on the bus, but right after they stepped off, the 'joking' started.

Peter zipped up his sweater, feeling exposed. Ned gave him a worried glance while MJ gave Flash and his entourage deadly glares. Peter eventually evened out his breathing, distracting himself by rubbing the soft, cotton material of his sweater in between his fingers.

He quickly spotted Jackie, Caden, and Reese next to Caden's locker and focused his attention on them instead of on Flash's insults. He rushed over to them, weaving through the sea of people and wondering how he didn't realize before that somehow New York's entire population went to his school or so it seemed that way. 

"Caden!" he greeted the boy, joining the trio at the older boy's locker. Caden looked towards him with a tired smile, the light in the hallway reflecting in his bright blue eyes. 

Peter stared for a moment until being interrupted by Ned who nudged his shoulder violently. Peter cleared his throat, swinging off his backpack to open it. "Oh! I brought your sweater back! I, uh, cleaned it... I mean, it smells nice. I washed it. I'm not sure what kind of detergent my aunt uses, but I think it smells nice-"

"Wow, Peter!" Jackie exclaimed, giving the small boy a toothy grin. She looked to Caden with raised eyes before looking back to Peter. "That's so nice! I didn't know people could be smart and nice. Isn't he so nice, Caden?" 

Ned smirked at Caden, wondering what the older boy was thinking. He turned to MJ to see what her reaction was to the situation to find her no longer next to them. He assumed she saw Jackie and bolted, probably thinking it was going to be an interrogation on the girls' relationship. 

Caden blushed slightly, avoiding eye contact with Jackie and Reese. He smiled softly at Peter, taking his sweatshirt from the boy's hands. "Thanks, Peter, it's really nice that you washed it and everything."

Jackie, Ned, and Reese shared a glance as they watched the two boys stare at each other. Caden broke their glance, shoving the sweatshirt into his locker to avoid Peter seeing the vibrant blush on his cheeks. 

Peter smiled widely at him before turning to Jackie. His eyebrows drew together in concern, looking down at the older girl. "Jackie, I heard about the robbery and stuff at your house last night. Is everyone okay?"

Her eyes widened, surprised that people were talking about the incident so soon. "Um, yeah. We're all okay. Thanks for that, Peter." She flashed a gentle smile at him, appreciating his concern for her and her family. 

Caden smiled widely, practically jumping in excitement. "Peter, we saw Spider-Man! Oh my god, it was so awesome! He saved Jackie and her family from those robbers, and then," Caden took a deep breath, still smiling. "he talked to us! He actually had a full-on conversation with us-"

"Yeah, yeah. We know. Then, he told you how cute you were. Give it a rest, dude," Reese deadpanned, clearly jealous that he wasn't there to see Spider-Man for himself.

Ned coughed and glanced at Peter quickly with a slight smile. Peter took the moment to widened his eyes, pretending this was news to him. "That's so cool, guys! I know how much you love Spider-Man, Caden," he said, smiling at the two.

"Wait a second..." Reese looked to Peter with one raised eye, a look of confusion on the older boy's face. "How do you know about Jackie's house already? It's not like she publicly announced it."

Peter blushed vibrantly, his eyes widening. Caden turned to him with a look of confusion. The small boy turned to Ned for an answer to see that his best friend also had no clue what to do. Soon, all of the three older teens were looking at Peter with confusion written all over their faces.

"W-Well!" Peter stammered loudly, causing startled and annoyed peers to glare at him. "I was just in the neighborhood because my aunt needed something when she was at work."

"At midnight?" Reese scoffed, disbelief coating his tone. Peter laughed nervously, tugging at his sweater in sheer awkwardness.

"Oh," Jackie replied, saving the boy from further embarrassment. "Where does she work?"

Not wanting to embarrass himself any further, Peter erased the first lie entirely. "Actually," he forced out a small chuckle. "My bad. I wasn't bringing anything to my aunt's- well, technically I was -I remember she was telling me to get something for her after I finished my Stark internship for the night," Peter told the three, emphasizing for important his job was.

Caden's eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face. "You don't mean Tony Stark, r-right?" he asked Peter, trying and failing to seem nonchalant.

"Shit, guys," Jackie looked at her watch, pulling Caden as she turned to leave in the opposite direction with Reese. "The bell's gonna ring."

The tall boy didn't take his eyes off of Peter, excitedly waiting for an answer. Peter smiled proudly at Caden, standing up a bit straighter. "Yeah, it's Tony Stark! I'm his intern-" he stopped himself abruptly. "But, we're not really supposed to talk about it." He shrugged apologetically, seeing Ned smiling at the two out of the corner of his eye. 

Caden blinked in shock, allowing himself to be dragged away from Peter. "Well, um, I'll see you at lunch!" he called down the hallway with a bright smile.

"Peter," Ned spoke quietly, hardly able to contain his excitement. "That was smooth!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gshdhwjdjdjjekd I just wow ALL OF THIS SUPPORT IM CRYINF THANKS GUYS
> 
> also this is a totally uninteresting and boring chapter I’m sorry don’t try to change my mind bc nothing significant happens except loads of gay


	4. Nerd Cancelling Headphones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> boyfriends, secrets, threats, and snacks

When the bell rang for lunch, Caden practically raced out of the door. He would've forgotten Reese was in his class if the boy hadn't called out his name. To say the least, he was more than excited to talk to Peter all about seeing Spider-Man and apparently Peter's secret Stark internship. 

"Caden!" Reese shouted, causing the taller boy to come to a sudden stop near the classroom door. Reese rolled his eyes, joining his friend at the door. "I know you want to be all nerdy with your little boyfriend, but wait up for me, alright?"

"Sorry, Reese," Caden quickly apologized, walking down the hall at the same pace as Reese. "I'm just excited to tell Pete- uh, everyone," Reese raised his eyebrows at Caden, smiling to himself, "how Spider-Man saved Jackie. It was the best thing... if only you were awake, too. Jackie was spamming our group chat."

"Well, I wasn't, alright? Anyways, I think this entire situation could end up in one of two ways," Reese told Caden who looked down at him with a confused expression. "Either you and Peter will fight to the death over Spider-Man and his love, or you guys will just end up falling in love and all that junk."

Caden scoffed. "I am not in love with Peter Parker, Reese, I just like him."

"You didn't correct me when I said he was your boyfriend..." Reese countered, smirking at Caden. Finally, he decided to drop the subject no matter how funny it was to see Caden get flustered. "But I won't be a Jackie so whatever you say. Let's just get to lunch so I can eat. I'm fucking starving."

-

Caden and Reese, with their lunch trays in hand, approached Peter, Ned, and Michelle's usual table. They were surprised to see Jackie already sitting at the table, immersed in conversation with Michelle. 

The two boys placed down their lunch trays, sitting across the table from Peter and Ned. Peter looked up, smiling at the sight of Caden. He was about to greet the two but was swiftly cut off by Reese. 

"Before you start babbling about god knows what, let me put on my nerd cancelling  headphones," Reese said, pulling his headphones over his ears. After he started his music, he gave them a thumbs up and told them to continue their conversation. "Headphone nickname credits go to Jackie Steele!" he added, not realizing how loud his voice would be with his music turned on.

Jackie smiled at the boy at the mention of her name. She turned to Peter and Ned. "Reese is against fun or something, and that fact hasn't really increased since we first became friends. Ignore him."

One of the many teachers who walked around the cafeteria to enforce the Rules of Lunchtime but were mainly to make sure students don't start smoking, spotted Reese using his headphones and mimicked taking them off before walking away. Reese rolled his eyes, sighing loudly before putting away the headphones. 

"Bite me, teachers," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "Now the nerd talk will go to my brain. Great."

Caden gave him a sympathetic smile, turning back to Peter when Reese frowned at him. "So, you work for Tony Stark? The Tony Stark?" Caden asked, trying to act calm which quickly failed.

Peter smiled, laughing softly at Caden's excitement. "Yeah, I work with Tony. We do... all kinds of stuff," he looked around the table, furrowing his brows at MJ's blushing cheeks as she and Jackie talked separately from the group. "Obviously I can't disclose any information, but I've met the Avengers multiple times so..." He raised his hands, shrugging as if he said he rode his bike to school that morning. 

Reese barley flinched as Caden widened his eyes and loudly gasped, smacking a hand over his mouth in shock. He slowly removed his hand from his mouth, clearly still in shock. "Have you met Spider-Man? Wait, duh, he's not even an Avenger-"

Peter was quick to cut in, defending his title. "Well, you know... he's not officially an Avenger, but he's getting there! Tony has him on a wait list. There's a wait list, by the way." Peter took a sip of his water to avoid answering any more questions and watched Caden nod understandingly. 

"Jackie, we spoke with a future Avenger last night!" Caden exclaimed, repeatedly tapping the girl's arm like an excited child would do to their parent. 

Jackie rolled her eyes, pushing him away from her into Reese's side. In the process, Reese almost fell off of the bench. 

Ned stood up from the table, staring at his phone. "Oh, my mom's here. Got to go," he told the group and everyone lazily raised their hands to wave goodbye except for Caden and Peter. 

Peter laughed nervously, glancing at Ned who was putting on his backpack. "Wait, where are you going? We have a chemistry lab today."

"I still haven't gotten my flu shot. My mom can't reschedule anymore especially since it's closer to flu season," Ned quickly explained, smirking slightly at the underlying worry of Peter's question. "You and Caden can just be lab partners, right?" Ned checked his watch, waving a goodbye to the group. "Okay, I seriously have to go. Bye, guys."

Ned walked out of the cafeteria, disappearing from Caden and Peter's sight. Reese and the girls looked at Peter acting uncomfortable, this being the only thing to grab Reese's attention. 

Caden shrugged, lazily smiling at Peter from across the table. He tried to ignore his heart pounding in his chest as he spoke. "You're definitely not the worst person to be partnered up with," he told Peter, his smile widening when Peter blushed. 

"You guys are so obvious," MJ commented, rolling her eyes at the two boys. 

Peter's blush faded into a deep red shade, his eyes widening at Michelle's words. MJ smiled at Peter's expression, knowing she had for sure gotten to him. 

"Not as obvious as you two," Reese countered, gesturing to the two girls sitting only inches apart. "What are you giggling and talking about anyways, huh?" He raised his eyebrows, smirking at Jackie and Michelle. 

MJ glared at Reese, her cheeks turning the slightest shade of red. Jackie smiled nervously, wrapping her arms around Caden. "Sorry, giant, no one wanted to embarrass you guys on your chemistry date." She laughed as Caden pushed her away.

Jackie got up from the table, her tray piled with Caden and Reese's trash as they hurriedly threw it onto transportation to the garbage. "You guys are the laziest people I've ever met. Peter, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into with that kid." She nodded to Caden with her head, and he turned around to pout at her. "I have to get to class early, physics is kicking my ass. I'll see you guys later, and hopefully I'll see you too, MJ." 

Jackie attempted to wave to the group as she walked away but almost dropped the entire tray of garbage. Instead she gave them a smile, threw away the boys' garbage, and walked to class quickly. 

Peter smirked at MJ, laughing at her red cheeks. "Hopefully you guys'll see each other later, Michelle," he mimicked Jackie's voice with a smile. "Don't worry, MJ. I approve of Jackie."

"I don't," Reese mumbled. "She's already annoying going on and on about you and Caden, and you know what'll happen if she gets a girlfriend? She'll go insane." 

MJ smiled at the thought but quickly hid it with her usual smirk. "Not sure if you losers would understand, but I wouldn't mind her going a bit insane. I think it'd be kinda cute." She quickly turned to Peter with a glare, pointing at him. "If this gets back to Jackie or even Ned, I swear I'll-"

The bell interrupted her threat which Peter just assumed was horrible. He mimicked zipping his lips, assuring her that he wouldn't let out her secret. Besides, Peter of all people knew how dangerous it would be to reveal a secret. 

\- 

Peter and Caden walked into chemistry together after a silent walk from the cafeteria. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was a comfortable one. The two boys were comfortable being in each other's presence, and the hallways were too loud for a conversation anyway. 

Sitting at the table where he and Ned usually sat at, the two got themselves situated. Peter looked up from his books to see Flash ready to pounce on them in their unaware state. Peter glared at him, but to say the least, Peter Parker wasn't as intimidating as Spider-Man. 

"So, you're hanging out with Parker now? Oh, my bad, I meant Penis Parker. Sorry, dude." Flash looked at Peter with a faux apologetic smile while Peter looked down at his books again in embarrassment. 

Caden's chair screeched across the floor as he pushed it back to stand in front of Flash. Caden was a half foot taller than Flash so he was pretty much towering over the boy with his arms crossed over his cotton Spider-Man shirt. "What the hell did you just say?" he asked softly, making it sound more like a threat than a question. 

Peter looked up, along with the students who had gotten to class before the bell had rung, his eyes wide at Caden's sudden defensive attitude. It wasn't anything he was expecting at all, and his heart swelled with affection as he watched the scene play out with a faint smile. 

Flash backed up into the lab table in front of Peter's, his own eyes wide in fear. "S-Sorry," he stammered out, turning to Peter to avoid Caden's glare. "Sorry, Parker, it slipped out." He shrugged at the boy despite the much taller one still a few feet away from him. 

"It shouldn't ever slip out," Caden retorted, stepping closer to Flash with a steady gaze before backing away to his seat next to Peter.

Flash smirked, thinking he had won even though everyone else knew better. "Whatever, Caden. I shouldn't have even bothered coming over here. Who even talks to spider obsessed freaks anyways?" he scoffed, gesturing to Caden's shirt. "Are you in love with Spider-Man or something?"

Peter looked to Caden, wondering what his next course of action would be. Some nearby students kept watching, but others turned away from the situation when Caden returned to his seat. 

Caden laughed loudly, causing Flash to glare at him in impatience. When he finished with his lengthy laugh, he looked at Flash. "Hell yeah I am! I mean, who isn't in love with Spider-Man?" He glanced at the clock and at that moment the bell rang. "Next time, I think you should make fun of someone at your own intelligence level," he said to Flash as the boy walked to the table behind Peter and Caden's, a grimace of anger on his face.

-

Not wanting to face Flash and his group on the bus, Peter decided to walk home. Caden insisted he walk home with the boy even though his house was in the opposite direction.

"Caden, it's okay," Peter assured him for the millionth time. "You don't have to walk me home. It's really not that far away."

Caden smiled down at him. "Yeah... no. I have to make sure the cutest human alive isn't attacked on the way home from school. I can protect you."

Peter blushed at the compliment, smiling to himself. At that moment Caden realized what he said and laughed nervously. "How about we maybe forget about that?"

"Forget about what?" Peter asked jokingly, causing Caden to laugh softly. "Um, thanks for everything you did in chem. That was really nice, I appreciate it," Peter spoke quietly. 

They walked in silence for a few moments before Caden responded. "It's no problem, Peter. I hate that people are such assholes to you." He shook his head in anger, staring straight ahead as he continued to walk.

"You kinda reminded me of Spider-Man, acting so tough and protecting the little guy. Literally." Peter laughed at his own joke but stopped when he noticed Caden's huge smile on his face. 

"Really?" he asked in disbelief, still smiling widely. When Peter nodded seriously Caden let out a breathy laugh. "Wow... that's the best thing I've heard all week. Seriously, thanks."

"You really like Spider-Man, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Caden answered automatically. "He's doing everything right by just... helping people. And I'm not sure who he is, but it doesn't seem like he wants fame or anything in return, he's just doing it to be a good person. I think you and him have a lot in common, Peter."

"Oh, if only you knew..." Peter trailed off quietly, shaking his head at the irony of it all.

Peter was one of the last people to be picked up on his bus ride in the morning, meaning he was the closest to the school so he and Caden arrived at his apartment sooner than Caden expected. 

"I told you it wasn't a long walk," Peter told him after stopping in front of his apartment building. "Well, uh... thanks for walking me home."

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Caden said with a grin. "I didn't come all this way for you to become locked outside of your apartment, easy prey for an attacker. I have to finish the job."

Peter laughed, shaking his head as he walked into his building. He knew Caden wouldn't take no for an answer so they went up to Peter's apartment together in silence.

Digging into his pocket, Peter pulled out his keys and unlocked his apartment door. He opened it a crack then looked up at Caden. "Mission accomplished. I'm home s-"

"Peter?" May shouted through the apartment. Peter widened his eyes at the sound of her voice, hearing her footsteps padding towards the door. "I got home early and... oh, who's this?"

May's eyes landed on Caden's tall stature leaning against the door frame. Peter winced, looking up at May with red cheeks. Caden flashed her a charming smile despite also blushing vibrantly. 

"I'm Caden Young," the tall boy introduced himself while May smirked at Peter who shuffled uncomfortably in the doorway. 

She looked up at Caden, smiling brightly. "Would you like to come in for a minute? Do you guys want some snacks or something?"

Peter practically shoved Caden out of the door. "No!" he exclaimed loudly, his voice cracking. "No snacks. He's fine," Peter assured her, forcing a smile. 

May, on the other hand, continued smirking at Peter, unfazed at his outburst. "Whatever you say, Peter," she said gently, resisting the urge to smile at her nephew. "Bye, Caden. Maybe next time you'll stick around."

"Maybe. Bye, Peter." He waved at the two with a small grin, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

Once Caden was out of his eyesight Peter closed the door loudly, avoiding May's smiling face. He knew what she thought. She would gush all day and the rest of the month about his crush. 

He raised his eyes to meet her sparkling ones once before blushing. He went to his room, closing the door behind him. His phone chimed, and he pulled it out of his back pocket. To his surprise, it was a text from Caden that made him instantly smile.

"What a nerd," he whispered, rolling his eyes at the message:

I wanted a snack...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so glad y’all are loving the fic that makes me sooooo happy thank you all so much it’s so nice of you sgdhdhd


	5. Spider-Man: Master of Entrances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Protective Aunt Mode, periods, Caden’s straight phase, and a super clumsy 5’8 spider

May always had the weekends free to herself. When Peter and her were both younger and they both had tons of energy, they would wildly entertain themselves around the apartment. Ben would join them once he got home, the two adults chasing Peter around the apartment. 

By aging ten or so years, they both spent their free time in different ways, May relaxing or cleaning the apartment while Peter did homework or spent time with his friends. May and Peter hardly saw each other except during meals. 

May walked to Peter's bedroom with a plan in mind. She couldn't stop thinking about Peter and Caden. It was pretty obvious of their feelings towards each other, but she wanted to properly talk about it with Peter even though he would most likely avoid the subject over and over again. 

She knocked lightly on his door, a plate in hand, smiling softly and entering when he let out a mumbled response. 

Peter was sitting at his desk, leaning over a stack of homework and his own notes. May walked over to him and placed the plate down next to his books. She dragged a chair towards his desk and sat down, watching him read sections of his textbook and scribble notes as he read. 

"Hey, genius, why don't you take a break?" she asked softly, rubbing his back gently. "You have all day to work... unless you have plans with some people, maybe Ned and MJ or another boy..."

Peter looked at her, rolling his eyes in amusement. "I know what you're trying to do, and I kinda don't want to talk about that," he said, his cheeks turning slightly red.

"Okay, I won't talk about that boy's crush on you. I guess you already know anyways," May said with a small smirk on her lips. 

She watched as Peter, who was leaning down underneath his desk, went to lift his head quickly and smacked it against the bottom of the desk. He groaned in pain, holding the back of his head tightly. "Shit," he mumbled, yanking out the plug to the heating pad that was laying on his abdomen. 

Once he sat upright, May went into Protective Aunt Mode, speaking at practically a hundred words per second. "Peter, oh my god. Do you need aspirin? What were you doing?" She practically ran into the kitchen to grab the bottle of aspirin, not waiting for him to answer any of her questions. 

"I was unplugging the heating pad," Peter explained once May returned, wincing in pain as he shifted in his seat. He pulled the heating pad out from under his shirt, throwing it onto his bed carelessly. "Also, Caden doesn't like me. Thanks for that statement though, almost gave me a concussion," he added, taking the aspirin May was shoving into his hand.

"Do you have bad cramps?" she asked, the glint in her eye that would active the Protective Aunt Mode starting to shine. Peter quickly shook his head, knowing the familiar glint all too well.

"Not really. It is getting much lighter though." May nodded in understanding at the statement and smiled gently at him. He swallowed the pills with a glass of water then touched the back of his head. A bump was already forming, and he sighed, shaking his head. 

May wrapped an arm around her nephew, pulling him into a side hug. "Obviously you would think he doesn't like you, but you also don't know what I saw when he looked at you," May told Peter, giving him a tight squeeze before sitting back in her seat. "He likes you."

Peter smiled ever so slightly, his cheeks a light red tone. He then looked over to the plate May had set down when she had first entered the room. "What's this? My vision is impaired from almost being concussed," he joked, taking a sip of water.

May rolled her eyes at her nephew, standing up. She placed a comforting hand on his back, kissing the top of his head. "Oh, you know, just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with apple slices," she answered, smiling down at the boy.

He looked up at her with raised eyebrows. "May, I'm not, like, a little kid anymore."

"So you're saying you don't want it?" she inquired with a smirk. 

He paused for a minute before breaking out into a grin. "No. I do." May chuckled, watching him look hungrily at the sandwich. After his first bite of the sandwich, he turned to May who was leaving the room. "I think Harper called the house a few minutes ago. You were in the shower."

"Oh, I'll call her back in a few," she replied, smiling because they both knew she was going to call as soon as she left. May's relationship with Harper had helped her in numerous ways, and Peter wanted nothing more than to see his aunt happy. "Don't study too hard, genius," she warned him with a small smile, pointing a finger at him. 

"Thanks, May. I'll try not to," he said, chewing a piece of apple. "Love you."

"Love you, too," she gently said, closing the door behind herself.

Once in the kitchen again, May grabbed her phone and called back Harper. It didn't take long for the woman to answer. "Hey," May greeted her as Harper answered the phone. "Is something wrong? Peter said you called earlier."

"No, just wanted to talk," she simply responded. May could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Since we're both off... do you want to come over? You can bring Peter, and we can all go to lunch."

"Something tells me Peter doesn't want to leave the house today. Unless it's with his friends or his crush," May sang the last word, smiling. She wondered if Peter heard her outburst, but if he did, he didn't comment. 

"Ooh, crush?" Harper asked curiously. They both loved gossip like teenagers did, but then again, most women their age did as well. 

"Yup. They definitely like each other, Peter just can't see it. The boy's name is Caden, and you should've seen how he looked at Peter. A lovesick puppy-"

"Don't tell me everything before you even get here!" Harper scolded her lightly. 

"Okay, okay. I'll leave right now." May laughed, hanging up the phone after their goodbyes. "Peter," she called out, grabbing her jacket and purse. "I'm going to Harper's, do you need anything?"

Peter poked his head out of his door. "Maybe a boyfriend. That'd be nice," he commented, nodding his head. 

"I'll let Caden know on my way or we can wait until he comes to his senses and asks you out," May quickly answered, smiling at her nephew. 

"Also chocolate. You know what kind I like," he added, a sheepish smile on his lips. "Please."

"I'll be back," she glanced quickly at the watch on her wrist, "around five. Be safe, no opening doors to strangers, don't overwork yourself by studying, alright?"

Peter nodded in response, waving as she left their apartment. He closed his door, glanced at his books that were sitting on his desk, then quickly went over to his closet where his Spider-Man suit was crumpled in a ball. 

-

Although he didn't enjoy jumping around the city while he was on his period, he wanted to visit Caden. The suit gave him more confidence in a way. Spider-Man was Caden's hero. He couldn't help but but on a mask - literally - and talk to Caden at ease in the suit. Definitely better than Peter Parker.

"Ned, I'm heading to Caden's. I think I'll be home soon, wanna head over to my place?" Peter asked the boy over the phone. An angry driver pounded on the horn as he swung across the crosswalk to the top of a building. "May will be home in a few hours."

"Sure, sure. Have fun being Spidey," Ned replied. Peter heard a key ring jingle through the phone's speaker. "Don't strain your voice. And... Peter?"

The lighthearted conversation suddenly stopped when Ned's voice became a softer yet serious tone. Karen alerted Peter that he had started sweating, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Damn anxiety, he cursed himself. 

"Yeah?" he replied, tempted to hang up before anything could get too serious. Peter definitely did not enjoy being put in situations where he became stressed about what was to come.

"Don't think you have to pretend to be the almighty Spider-Man when Caden likes you even more as just Peter," Ned assured the boy, causing Peter to stop his fast paced jogging.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Karen stated. "He likes you, Peter. I would advise the exact thing Ned did. He wouldn't be disappointed if Peter showed up at his house instead of Spider-Man. A little creeped out maybe-"

"Thank you, Karen!" Peter interrupted the robotic voice in his suit. He nodded at Ned's statement then responded after realizing the boy wasn't actually with him. "Y-Yeah. Um, thanks, Ned. I appreciate it. Really, I do. Maybe I'll try it one day..."

Peter quickly gave an awkward goodbye and continued on his way to his crush's house. Maybe Peter isn't that much of a let down, but Spider-Man earns more points, he thought to himself. Spider-Man it is. 

-

"Would you rather make out with me or with Mr. Clean from those weird commercials and that lady is totally checking him out, right?" Jackie asked the two questions, the final product ending up as one. She directed it at Caden while Reese rolled his eyes at the typical Jackie-like question.

The three were sitting in her room which was where they usually spent their weekends. Reese had family over and had numerous siblings to begin with, so they hardly ever went to his house, and Caden just enjoyed the comfort of his best friend's house like it was his own. 

Caden laughed, shaking his head while the smile on his face never faltered. "You know I have kissed girls before? I've dated, like, three girls."

"Mhm, but they're not me," she countered, laughing as she spoke the last word.

"Mr. Clean wouldn't treat you right, Caden. He'd clean your house, clean you out of your money, probably seduce you, and then leave, never to be heard from again," Reese told his friend, nodding his head at the accuracy of his own statement.

"1. I think you both put way too much thought into this game," he concluded, causing them both to laugh, "and 2. I'd make out with Jackie."

"Ew, gross!" she exclaimed in a high pitched voice, covering her face with her hands. Reese pushed her closer to the blued eyed boy, mimicking kissing sounds to them. They all burst out into laughter, Caden's glasses falling off of his face. 

"Reese, it's your turn," Jackie said to him after she caught her breath, taking Caden's glasses and Reese's headphones from them. She put them on, doing a few poses for the boys. "If Reese and Caden had a child," she announced, smiling widely at both of them while pointing at her face.

"Caden," Reese deadpanned in his usual Reese way, "I hate to break this to you, but... I don't like you that way. I hope we can stay frien-"

Jackie abruptly squealed, practically tackling Caden to the ground. "Speaking of friends, how are you and Peter? Dating yet? Please say yes," she added the last part softly while she screamed the rest of it. 

"Tell the entire world, why don't you?" Caden threw his hands up in exasperation to convey annoyance. His cheeks grew pink as did the tips of his ears.

"You're stalling. And, you're not even semi good at it," Reese commented, seemingly bored with the entire conversation. 

Jackie arched an eyebrow at her best friend, handing back his glasses and Reese's headphones. "If you two want this to go somewhere, you can't just pretend the other is a mind reader. You have to actually talk."

Caden pursed his lips, annoyed at her always being right. "I think admiring from afar, or not so afar, is good enough-"

"False. You're just nervous," Jackie interrupted him swiftly, stating another correct point. 

"You can always ask your new bestie Spider-Man for advice," Reese suggested with an eye roll. Despite hearing the story numerous times, Reese was both jealous and doubtful. "I'm sure he's had plenty of action in the superhero dating category."

Jackie dramatically ran over to her window, opening it loudly. She did most things loudly. "Spider-Man! Oh, Spidey! Friendly neighborhood bestie, where are you?" she yelled out the window, cupping around her mouth so her voice echoed off of the buildings. 

Caden and Reese both regretted being her friend in that moment, but they also smiled at her utter craziness that made her the one and only Jackie Steele.

After jokingly looking back and forth through the clouds above, Jackie plastered a defeated look on her face and sat back down. Her and Reese both immediately continued their discussion about Peter, annoyed with both of the boys for not taking any steps in furthering their semi relationship. 

Suddenly, Peter swung by, crashing onto Jackie's fire escape. The three friends jumped in surprise at the loud noise. Jackie hesitantly went over to the window in her kitchen while the boys followed quietly behind her. Peter groaned softly, aching pretty much everywhere from his collision. He eventually stood up, shaking his head from his slightly blurred vision and gave the three friends a wave.

"You called?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I never assigned faceclaims to the characters of Caden, Reese, and Jackie so how do you guys picture them??? I’m seriously interested to know so leave a comment on who you associate the characters with :)


	6. The Answer to Most Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> crime fighting, match making, a plan, and a date

After Jackie got over her laughter fit, which Peter didn't appreciate, and Reese got over his shock, the group moved aside and allowed Peter to jump into the Steele's kitchen. Thankfully, no one else was home besides the group of friends. 

For once, Reese was speechless which wasn't that surprising to his two friends. They were practically the same way nights before except Caden was more groggy in his almost sleepwalking state at the late hour. 

Jackie grabbed Peter's arm, pulling him into her room. Both of the other boys followed her and the superhero, eager to what she was going to say.

Caden had a slight idea, blushing at the mere thought of it. He hoped it wasn't true, but when Jackie opened her mouth, his silent prayers weren't granted. 

"So, just the spider I was hoping would crash onto my fire escape!" she said with a wide smile. She quickly winked at Caden, so fast that he questioned immediately afterwards if it had actually happened. 

Peter sighed loudly, rolling his eyes at her despite the fact that she wouldn't be able to see him. "I'm rolling my eyes at you, by the way. Also, why'd you want me to crash and injure practically... well, everything." 

Jackie chuckled, moving to wrap an arm around Caden. She managed to do so even though he was almost a foot taller than her. 

"My pal Caden here has been having boy troubles," Jackie explained, feeling Caden's wide eyes on her in shock. 

Reese, having regained the ability to talk, scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That's an understatement. He likes some guy who obviously likes him back," he shot a glance at Caden, "but they won't do anything about it."

Meanwhile, Peter was in the middle of an internal battle of whether he should jump for joy or weep in disappointment. Like moments before, Peter was stunned like Reese was. His heart started beating quite fast which he only realized once Karen reminded him that it was.

"Besides, it's always thumping in your chest around Caden. Not surprising to me," Karen said, and Peter realized that robots could be judgmental if they pleased. 

Peter stammered for a bit, six eyes on him, but he was solely focusing on the bright blue eyes of Caden. "Oh, well..." he was at a loss of words for his crush. "May-Maybe try with something simple but cute?"

"Like what?" Caden instantly asked. It was evident he was listening intently, and Peter wasn't sure whether to be excited or concerned about his seemingly desperate tone. 

"Do what you know will be easy — make it Spider-Man related," Peter joked, pointing to Caden's new sweatshirt, web logos creating a pattern on the soft cotton. He then realized how easy and sweet that idea could be. "Confess your feelings using me," Peter told Caden in a serious tone, nodding his head. 

Jackie and Reese's eyes both widened. They turned to Peter and then to Caden. "That's a perfect idea!" Jackie exclaimed excitedly. "How did I not think of that earlier?" she quietly added, letting out a huff.

"Yeah, that's actually a pretty great idea, Spider-Man," Reese laughed as the superhero's name came out of his mouth, still surprised he was in the same room as the newest superhero everyone was talking about. 

Caden nodded his head for a good while minute, processing the idea. "Okay, yeah. That's an awesome idea. Perfect, actually. Hopefully he'll like it," he spoke to himself, then to his friends, and finally, to Peter. "Thanks, Spidey."

"Well, I am the answer to most things," Peter said, laughing softly. "And, no problem, Caden. I hope everything works out."

"He'll have to commit a crime just to keep you updated," Reese joked, winking in Caden's direction.

Caden hardly even heard Reese's statement as a million thoughts were buzzing around his head. He was excited to start the project in preparation to ask out Peter. On the other hand, he feared, despite everything his friends were telling him, that Peter would hate it. That he would hate Caden. That's impossible to think, right? Right?! Oh, feelings, why do you torture me?

"It'll work out," Jackie whispered softly to her best friend, sensing his inner torture. They were weird, telepathic best friends in that way, a way Reese didn't understand at all. She squeezed his hand to give him a source of comfort, smiling up at him. "He'll love it."

There was a faint screech of tires which Peter assumed was down the block from Jackie's house. He quickly went to Jackie's window, opening it. The three friends looked at him, Caden's eyes staring with slight stress and overall deep concern.

"Thanks again, Spider," Caden softly spoke, smiling at the boy. "I'll, um," his chuckle broke his sentence, smiling at the ground before looking back to the superhero, "I'll find some way to contact you. Maybe get your own version of the Bat Signal?"

"I'll look into that, but now I have to do some regular superhero things," Peter laughed along with the boy, shooting out a web to the side of the building. "Now, get to work on the project for that boy!" Peter pointed a finger at Caden before swinging off down the street.

In response, Caden held up a weak thumbs up, mentally making a list of supplies he would need. 

-

"Dude, as fun as it is looking through your notebooks and seeing you write hearts and Caden's name over and over..." Ned chuckled, listening to Peter groan through his headphones. "I've been here for hours, are you coming back soon?"

Ned was sitting in Peter's room, hunched over his computer that gave him access to view the city like Peter was while swinging around in the air as Spider-Man. 

"I said I'd be there soon!" Peter assured him. Ned winced, hearing car crashes and breaks screeching. "Whoops," Peter mumbled, chuckling uncomfortable. "Better clean this up. I'll be home straight after this, I swear."

"You won't be straight considering you most likely stopped by Caden's house, but I'll see you soon. Bye," Ned joked with his best friend, laughing himself, then tapped the headset to mute the volume. 

Ned turned to face the laptop, holding it tightly on his lap while swinging around on the chair. He tried his best to mimic how flying and swinging through the air would be, smiling despite the obvious reality of everything.

"Spider-Man saves entire Queens borough from nuclear bomb plan, crafted by Robin but conspired by Batman?!" Ned mimicked a news reporter in a deep octave than his own. 

He swiveled the chair as if giving an interview, thinking hard about the statement. "Well, yeah, of course being Spider-Man is hard... especially with all of the homework I have to catch up on!" he presses a button and played a laugh track on his computer, chuckling at the "response" of the audience. "I know, I know. But, in all seriousness, the city comes first. That why I think so many people, especially young children, look up to Spider-Man. They don't look up to me, but /Spider-Man/ is their real her-"

A door unlocked on the other side of the apartment, causing Ned to be interrupted. "Oh shit!" he cursed under his breath, hopefully glancing at Peter's camera to see if could possibly be him. He quickly concluded it wasn't him, seeing as how Peter was still jumping from building to building. 

"Peter! Hey, I saw there was a car crash near the movie theater and as a fundraiser for one of the men injured they're giving out free tickets if you donate money!" May called out to the apartment, walking towards Peter's room. 

Ned unmuted the headset, quickly whispering into Peter's ears. "Dude, May's here. Don't come home yet."

With that, he shoved them into Peter's drawer, switched to a blank document on his laptop, and opened up to a fresh sheet of paper in Peter's notebook — one that wasn't graffitied with hearts and Caden's name. 

May opened Peter's door, which was ajar in the first place, and furrowed her eyebrows as she saw Ned in Peter's place instead of her own nephew. "Ned?"

"Oh. Hey, May," Ned smiled widely, giving her a small wave. "Sorry, I guess I startled you. Peter offered I come here instead of suffer trying to write this essay in my crowded house."

May nodded, smiling back at the boy. "Speaking of Peter, where is he?" she asked, peeking into the bathroom across the hall before returning to Peter's room. 

"I remember him saying he was going to pick up some things from the store, like, the grocery store," Ned explained, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"He's only 15, do your parents let you go out to the store by yourself or am I just crazy?" May asked hurriedly, visibly stressing out quite a bit. 

Ned shook his head, offering her a comforting smile. "You're not crazy, all parents do things differently. My parents let me come here all the time alone, I'm used to it I guess. Sorry, I should've gone with him."

May sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "No, no, Ned... it's fine. I'll just text him some things I need, too, might as well make use of his freedom."

"At least he wasn't totally alone walking home the other day, you know? He was with Caden," Ned shrugged until his eyes widened, registering what he had said to May.

"Caden, huh?" May smirked at the boy who closed his eyes tightly and sighed.

Peter is gonna kill me with his Spider-Man web things... but that would be pretty awesome, he thought, eventually accepting his awesome death. 

"I saw them together the other day. Do you know if anything is up with them?" May asked, hardly able to contain her smile. "Like, are they just friends or just friends?"

"Huh?" Ned uttered, very confused at the woman. "I mean, I'm pretty sure Caden likes Peter, too."

"Too? So, you're saying Peter obviously likes Caden?" May excitedly asked, practically jumping up and down. Ned nodded, cracking a smile. "I knew it," she whispered to herself. 

"Yeah, he's been going on about Caden for a month at the least. He moved on from Liz pretty quickly."

May nodded understandingly. "Ned, I know it must be hard for you to reveal Peter's secrets to his crazy aunt, but I just want the best for him. I think we both can agree on that," she paused, looking at his blank piece of paper, "And, I suggest you start writing down notes before going headfirst into a full essay." 

Ned nodded, giving her a thumbs up. He watched her leave the room, and as soon as the door shut, he grabbed the headset. 

"So, a little detour from home... you better get to the grocery store quickly because that's where May thinks you are. She'll be texting you a list momentarily." Ned laughed softly at Peter's dramatic sigh. 

-

The next day, MJ sighed as Peter had except her sigh had more of a nervous edge. Her palms were sweating which never happened, and the brisk October air didn't aid her in fooling herself into thinking she was only uncomfortably warm because of the warm sun. 

But, then what could explain her shaking hands and the way she anxiously tapped her foot?

She rolled her eyes at herself and her nerves, twirling her straw in her cup of water. Across from her was a neatly set place for the girl that made her as anxious as she was. No one had ever made her feel the way Jackie did, and it was frightening but also nice in a way. 

She saw the girl's wild curls before noticing the rest of her petite body. She smiled widely which she was pretty sure made her look stupid. Usually she didn't care about that type of society brainwashing people into what was considered "normal", so she had to catch herself. Especially around Jackie. 

"This is a cute little diner, did you order anything?" Jackie asked as soon as she sat down, gulping down sips of her water. "I'm starving," she added, laughing at MJ's confused expression. 

"Seems like you're thirsty, too," she commented, sipping her own water through the straw. 

Jackie lowered the volume of her laugh, checking her watch. "I ran from the bus stop. I didn't want to keep you waiting or be late. I'm kinda dependable like that... especially since Caden is usually the late one."

"I hate people who are late," MJ said to Jackie who nodded her head in agreement. "Not that I hate your best friend, I don't. But, I also don't like him as much as Peter does." 

They both laughed at that, smiling at the tall girl's joke. Suddenly, Jackie widened her eyes, an excited glint in her eyes. "Oh my god, yesterday the craziest thing happened. So, Spider-Man stopped by my house again!"

MJ smiled at the girl's excitement. She furrowed her eyebrows at the fact that the superhero went to Jackie's house a second time. "Really? What happened?" she curiously asked.

"Okay, so this is ever crazier, but he literally gave Caden advice on how to ask out Peter! Like, what, that's totally insane, but it happened." Jackie's smile didn't fade as she peeled at the menu. Her head shot up, curls bouncing around her face. "Please don't tell Caden or anyone I said that, it's gonna be an awesome surprise. Peter will love it."

MJ was, to say the least, excited and happy for Peter. She couldn't wait to see how Caden would make his move, but at that moment, she decided to set her focus on figuring out what to order. 

In the end, the two girls split a wrap. Neither were very hungry, wanting to talk to each other more than even looking at their food. 

"I can't believe Caden is finally gonna get a move on Peter. It's about time," Jackie snorted, shaking her head at the thought of the two pining for ages. 

"I've told Peter to speak to him about a million times, what can I say? No one listens to me, people will move on if no one initiates anything." MJ agreed, gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

With that, Jackie smiled softly at the girl in front of her, glancing at their hands which were inches apart. "Can I initiate something?" she asked softly, slowly reaching to hold MJ's hand. 

MJ blinked, swallowing thickly. She raised her eyes from their two hands to Jackie's bright eyes. She nodded, feeling a blush hot on her cheeks. "Yeah, go for it," she responded, wondering if her voice was shaky or not. 

Jackie's smile widened, squeezing MJ's hand gently. "Want to come over and watch some Halloween movies later this week? Who knows, maybe Spider-Man will swing by... literally."

MJ would've pinched herself if she wasn't twirling her straw and holding Jackie's hand. She nodded again, a smile slowly growing on her face. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Great, I can't wait," Jackie giggled, getting out of her chair while reluctantly pulling away from MJ. "Apparently my bladder can't wait any longer either. I'll be right back."

"And, I'll be here," MJ said, waiting until Jackie was out of her sight before pulling out her phone. 

She quickly texted Ned, the excitement between her own dating life and Peter's future dating life making her oddly happy. 

so dude Peter is most likely going to be asked out by Caden this week, don't tell Peter obviously thanks

She tapped her fingers on the screen more, adding:

I'll explain everything later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again thank you all for your super nice comments, I read and try to reply to all of them and they’re just so so SO nice I can’t believe aw sgshdjdjd
> 
> also these are my headcanons for my OCs:
> 
> Caden = Asa Butterfield  
> Jackie = Amandla Stenberg  
> Reese = Ryan Potter  
> Harper = Vivian Wu


	7. So, like a Double Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> friends defending friends, lesbians, a Tony Stark gift, and a cozy train ride

Peter winced in pain which was how every Friday morning had started since his birthday. His eyes darted to his leg, examining for spots of blood or anything of that sort. He looked away once he saw the needle, admittedly never fully getting over his fear. 

"I've never struck a vein before, Peter. I think I'm a professional at this," May joked, placing a bandaid on his upper thigh. "All done." She gave him a thumbs up, smiling at him before cleaning up the syringe and the vial of testosterone on the kitchen counter. 

"Thanks, Aunt May," Peter softly said, a blush creeping up his neck. "Almost five months, you know." Peter looked up slowly at May who smiled while putting away everything. He smiled widely, standing up from his seat. 

"Yeah, I know. I'm proud of you, and I'm happy for you." She adjusted her glasses, walking over to hug her nephew. "Ben would be happy, too," she added quietly, squeezing him tightly as they hugged. 

Peter nodded at the statement, offering her a sad smile. He nodded once more then turned and walked to his room to get ready for the school day. 

Feeling pleased with himself, along with his progressively deeper voice and darker hair that was a lot more noticeable on his arms and legs, Peter decided on wearing a T-Shirt. He added a hoodie on top of that just for good measure, but it was definitely much more exposed than his usual layers of clothing. 

"You have everything for the school day? Water bottles? Homework?" May asked as Peter was prepared to walk out the door. 

Peter turned, smiling at her. "Don't worry, Aunt May, I've got it down to a T," he deadpanned, cracking a smile when she rolled her eyes at his joke that was actually well thought out. 

He waved quickly to May before leaving to catch the bus, propping his backpack higher up on his back as he braced himself for Flash's inevitably comments. 

Surprisingly, Flash wasn't on the bus that morning meaning Peter had lucked out pretty well. MJ noticed his wide smile as he sat down, looking around in disbelief. 

She smiled at her friend, hiding the grin behind her book. Peter turned to her, gesturing to the back row of seats that were practically empty. 

"It's a Halloween miracle," he marveled. He smiled again, jokingly taking out his phone. "I might need to photograph this rare sighting because... wow."

MJ snorted, rolling her eyes. However, she did refrain from calling him a loser, like she usually would have, because he was way too happy. It was pretty nice to see Peter happy, even she could admit that. "Why don't you just tell May about the Flash thing?" she questioned him, confused at Peter's approach to the situation herself. "Clearly you're happier without him here. You're practically oozing happiness."

Peter shrugged, playing with the zippers on his bag in an attempt to avoid her question. She cleared her throat loudly, placing her book into her bag before looking at Peter. "Well?" she asked in an expectant manner. 

Peter sighed, dropping the zippers and looking towards his friend. "Well... it's just that May is super happy right now. She's with Harper and is really happy with her. And, last year was enough stress with Flash, right? She doesn't deserve to go through that again."

"You don't deserve to go through this everyday!" she shouted, causing some younger kids to turn their heads at the outburst. "It's not right. They're harassing you daily, and I won't stand for it anymore. If you don't tell May, I'll just tell the principal. And, I'll bring Ned with me too, no matter how nervous he gets. I'll bring everyone I just- I care about your mental health and everything, alright?"

Peter remained silent throughout her spiel, surprised at MJ's level of care she had towards him. He nodded when she finally finished, giving her a small smile because she was completely right. Peter didn't have to take anything Flash threw at him, and he was able to have things lighten up the previous year. He would be able to do the same, he just had to be a little selfish which he was dreading.

-

The first half of the school day came and went, and Peter caught sight of both Flash and, on a happier note, Caden. He hadn't seen the older boy much over the past week but flashed a grin to his Spider-Man sweatshirt wearing crush and waved to Jackie and Reese who were beside Caden. 

The past week had been an anxiety ridden trip for Peter. After he had meddled in his own love life, or as far as he knew, some other guy's love life, as Spider-Man a week earlier, he would be lying if he said that he didn't feel disappointed that Caden hadn't made an appearance at lunch. 

Ned and MJ had been waiting during the week to see when Caden would make his move. They assumed it would be at lunch which was when they all hung out, but Caden was nowhere to be found in lunch day after day. 

Ned grew impatient while MJ remained more laidback during the situation. Of course, everyone at their lunch table had been waiting to see which one of the boys would make the first move, and now that it appeared Caden would do so, Ned couldn't wait. 

Jackie and Reese were more informed on the topic; they knew the real reason Caden hadn't been at lunch the past week since they were both his closest friends. That left Ned and MJ in the dark, and while MJ didn't necessarily want to wait another long week to see when Caden would make his move, she wasn't at all panicked like Ned was. 

Meanwhile, Peter didn't even tell Ned about what he had done as Spider-Man. He couldn't. He had a weird feeling about it, it was a secret he definitely wasn't supposed to know. He had to pretend like he didn't know a thing which was harder than it seemed especially since Peter's brain constantly began to overthink all of the possibilities why Caden wasn't at lunch that week. 

Well, obviously he's hanging out with the guy he's actually going to ask out. Why would I even assume it was me? What led me to that conclusion? Obviously he doesn't like me, and he's even avoiding the lunch table to prove that point. Jackie and Reese are too nice to leave and Jackie's with MJ so she has a reason to stay. That's it, I'll only see Caden in the halls now. Another crush gone wrong. He totally doesn't like you, Peter Parker, you're crazy.

Peter's thoughts had trailed off, and he felt overwhelmed with everything so he shoved his hoodie into his bag, sighing. Ned reached over to grab a fry off of Peter's lunch tray while Reese did the same, shrugging before popping the fry into his mouth. 

"So, is Caden coming back to lunch any time soon?" MJ asked curiously, making eye contact with Peter before looking back to Jackie who sat next to her. 

The small girl coughed, looking to Reese for an explanation who sighed dramatically before answering. "Caden's just working on some stuff right now... he'll be around again soon. He's being a nerd with doing loads of work for someone- some teacher I mean." Reese stumbled through the explanation, causing Ned to make wide eye contact with MJ. 

Peter shrugged indifferently at the thought of Caden. He didn't want to get his hopes up, and his stream of negative thoughts made sure that happened. "I was starting to think he was ditching us if I were to be honest," Peter mumbled softly, looking at the table when everyone turned to look at him. 

Ned looked sadly towards his best friend whose eyes were fixated on the table. He glanced at MJ who had a sad expression on her face as well. 

As if the universe planned to make the second half of Peter's Friday unbearable, Flash pulled up a seat to the group's table. 

"Fuck off, Flash," Ned commented upon seeing him, maiming steady eye contact with the bully. Flash ignored him, adjusting his seat to be closer to Peter. 

He smiled at everyone in the group who narrowed their eyes at him in response. "So, Penis Parker, ya miss me on the bus this morning?" He looked around, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. "Hey, where's your boyfriend? Got tired of hanging around a bunch of girls?"

He laughed loudly at his own joke while the group stared at him with Peter continuing to stare at the the small hill of fries on his lunch tray. His laughter died down, the four others staring him down. 

Flash lowered his head, closely examining Peter's arms and the dark, coarse hair on them. He scrunched his nose, moving his head away dramatically. "Girls aren't supposed to have that kinda arm hair, Parker, you gotta shave that or something!" 

Peter turned his head to eye his book bag by his feet, grabbing for his hoodie quickly so he wouldn't have to deal with the mind twisting ashamed feeling Flash provoked in him. So much for feeling happy with yourself... He pulled it on, covering his arms successfully. Suddenly, a loud screech of a chair being pushed back on the floor caused him to lift his head. 

He watched with wide eyes, as did the rest of the group, as MJ stomped over to Flash, her arms crossed and a stare on her face that could kill. Flash's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape at the girl's expression. 

She stuck out her arm violently, placing it directly in front of Flash's wide eyes. She leaned down close to his face before speaking in voice that was so calm it seemed scary. "Actually this is what a girl's arm looks like, and I suggest you leave before you get to know what a girl's fist looks like too," she threatened, watching Flash swallow thickly with nerves. 

He scoffed, trying to ignore his own shaking hands and wavering voice. He turned to Jackie who followed MJ and was standing with her arms crossed on Flash's other side. "You keep standing so close and I'll have to ask you out," he commented, making her glance towards her friends at the lunch table with an incredulous expression. 

She let out a small laugh, bursting into a fit of giggles as Reese choked on his milk in surprise at the sheer stupidity of Flash's statement. "You don't seriously think Jackie's gonna go out with you, right?" Reese asked, looking to Peter and Ned with dramatic wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. "I mean, you're not really attempting to ask her out after harassing our friend, are you?"

"C'mon, dude. Sexuality is fluid, isn't it?" Flash asked, making a gesture with his hand to convey that it was obvious. He rolled his eyes then looked up at Jackie again. 

"Fluids solidify at low enough temperatures," MJ told him, making sure her statement was loud enough for everyone at the table to hear. She backed away from Flash, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing as his eyebrows drew together in confusion. She sighed, offering him a forced smile. "You're not hot enough for her, dude."

Ned, Peter, and Reese sputtered out their laughter they had held in for a few minutes at the most. Peter shook his head, still chuckling softly as Flash turned to glare at the three boys.

Jackie smiled innocently at him then promptly wrapped her arms around MJ's neck, smiling up at her. She looked over to Flash, the same smile on her face, watching him stand up abruptly. "Also, I'm kind of with MJ right now, but if you'd like both of us to beat your ass, we can gladly arrange that."

MJ glanced down at the short girl before smirking challengingly at Flash. The boy bit his lip in thought then pivoted on his heel and walked back towards his own lunch table. 

Jackie scoffed at him, rolling her eyes at his contradictory attitude and actions. She unwrapped her arms that were still hung loosely around MJ's neck, and the girls smiled at each other before returning to their seats at the table. 

Peter, Ned, and Reese, all well aware of the relationship between the girls, turned away quickly to appear as if they hadn't been watching their interactions with small grins. 

Peter piled his lunch tray with his garbage, hesitantly looking up at his group of friends. "Uh, thank you guys for that," he spoke softly, offering all of them a small, appreciative smile. "I really, you know... it just meant a lot to me. Thank you."

Jackie smiled, grabbing his full lunch tray from his hands. "It's no problem, Peter. Now you know we don't invade your lunch table everyday because of Caden. Obviously, he's our best friend, but you're our friend too. We're here to stand up for you like any other friend would, we aren't just strangers hanging around you guys."

Peter nodded, looking down towards the table again. Ned, sensing that Peter wanted to keep away from the topic, quickly changed the subject. He sent a wide smile towards Peter, remembering exciting news he wanted to share with the boy.

"So, I got a new Star Wars set..." Ned mentioned, smiling at Peter. Peter glanced upwards at Ned, a grin taking over his features immediately. "It's the Star Destroyer, and it's almost 1,500 pieces! It's gonna be huge!" he exclaimed, his hand gestures emphasizing his excitement. 

Peter smiled, mouth agape in surprise. "We should totally build that over the weekend! My house? Later today?" Peter looked forward to see Reese silently scrolling on his phone. "Hey," Peter said, causing Reese to look at him and Ned, "wanna build the Star Destroyer with us at my house later? We could use your help with the thousands of pieces."  

Reese smiled slightly, nodding at the boys in confirmation. "Yeah. Sure. That'll be cool, thanks guys."

Ned and Peter nodded as if to say "you're welcome", and they all turned after hearing MJ's scoff. She was rolling her eyes at them which was her usual reaction to their nerdy plans. "Losers," she stated, filling Jackie in on the boys' plans for the weekend once she returned from the trash cans. 

"Well, do you two have plans for the weekend?" Peter innocently asked, his lips turning upward at MJ's red blush spreading over her face. "You are exclusive according to Jackie, so what are you guys up to?"

Jackie laced her and MJ's fingers together, smiling at the boys. "Nice try, Peter, but I don't spill," she answered, her smile twisting into a smirk. "We do have something to discuss with you th-"

Caden interrupted his best friend, practically falling into a seat between Jackie and Reese. Peter's breath caught in his throat, surprised at the sight of Caden after not seeing him for almost a week. Caden glanced over at the smaller boy which made Peter instinctively turn away, a blush dusting his cheeks while his heart pounded quickly. 

"Hey, giant," Jackie greeted Caden with a smile. She looked at Peter's red cheeks, biting the inside of her cheek. She turned back to Caden who was digging in his bag for his lunch. "We were just about to talk to Peter about your idea, but maybe you'd like to tell him about it?"

Caden looked up in surprise, wanting to shake his head in a quick no, but seeing a bashful Peter Parker in his peripheral vision kind of forced him to oblige. 

"Yeah, were you planning this all of those days when you weren't at lunch or something?" MJ asked him, a slight sarcastic tinge weaved through her words. 

Ned, Jackie, and Reese looked to the girl with wide eyes before turning their attention back to Caden. All three of them didn't want the surprise of Caden's moment to be ruined by sarcasm and pettiness. 

However, Caden was hardly paying attention to them, smiling to himself as Peter pretended to be very occupied with the contents of his backpack. 

"Well, uh, Peter," Caden broke the silence, everyone's eyes focusing on him, "I was wondering if you'd want to have a Halloween themed movie marathon sometime next week or over the weekend or something... yeah, that's all." Caden chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously at Peter's unreadable expression. 

Peter's heart was pounding in his chest, and he swore that if the cafeteria was quiet enough, everyone would be able to hear the loud thumping in his chest. His eyes were as wide as Ned's in that moment, the boy very excited for his best friend. Peter's lips slowly quirked into a smile, nodding his head at Caden's plan. 

"That would be awesome," was all Peter could say. He was fearful that if he spoke he would blow it tremendously, so he stuck with keeping his responses short. He broke out into a wide smile as Caden did the same. 

Caden finally reached into his bag and placed his lunch on the table. He gestured towards Jackie and MJ with a smile. "That's great because MJ had said that your place is the best for movies because it was nice and cozy. And, don't worry about bringing movies, Jackie and MJ have that covered."

With that statement, Peter's heart deflated. His wide smile fell once he took in Caden's words. He realized that Caden wasn't asking him out at all, he was simply wondering if Peter wanted to join their group activity for watching Halloween movies. Ned and MJ shared the same disappointed facial expressions, looking at each other and then at Peter's empty stare. 

Trying to keep his emotions inside, Peter smiled sadly at Caden, nodding at the plan arrangements that he wasn't paying attention to. The day that had started out well had hit Peter hard with the reality that with the good comes the bad; and, in Peter's case, the bad seemed much worse than he had anticipated. 

Caden, noticing Peter's faded smile but not able to exactly read his expression as he was very skilled at concealing his true emotions, turned to Jackie with his eyebrows drawn together. Jackie, excited at their plans finally working out, winked at Caden with a small grin. He rolled his eyes at her, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. 

MJ smirked in the boys' direction, clearing her throat which caused Peter and Caden to look at her. "So, like a double date? This Halloween marathon will be like a double date, yeah?" 

The boys' eyes widened, both of their faces turning vibrant reds. "What? No, we- we aren't even dating. C'mon, MJ," Caden explained, stumbling through his response because of the question she posed. 

"Yeah, obviously. That's crazy. Shut up, MJ," Peter mumbled, accidentally meeting Caden's gaze when he, once again, turned to focus his attention on the lunch table. 

Thankfully, the bell to end their lunch period stopped MJ, or anyone else, from causing Peter to become even more red in the face. The group parted ways, Peter gravitating to MJ and Ned without saying anything to Caden. His neck and cheeks were still warm, he couldn't talk to him. 

Caden shoved his uneaten lunch into his backpack, joining Reese and Jackie in the hallway. Before he could open his mouth to talk about MJ's not needed question, Reese spoke with a judging tone.

"Way to crush Peter in there, dude," he commented, rolling his eyes at Caden's drawn together eyebrows once he said it. He sighed, letting Jackie explain everything that was happening as she would be less harsh. 

Jackie comfortingly wrapped an arm around Caden, leaning her head on his arm. "What Reese means to say is that Peter is just a little out of it right now and... yeah."

Reese nodded, adding his own observations. "He's acting pretty depressed, maybe you should talk to him-" 

"No!" Jackie cut him off rather loudly. "No, he's not depressed exactly. He's just feeling, I don't know, he thinks you're avoiding him because you haven't been at lunch in a while. He's anxious about that, I'm pretty sure."

Caden sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I've been working on the project to ask him out, you guys know that."

"Well, obviously we know that! It's not like we can tell Peter that," Jackie said reasonably. She assured him with a bright smile. "We have been trying to calm his nerves, though. We told him that you'd show up soon. And, poof, here you are!"

Caden nodded, giving them a smile to show his appreciation for the coverup they created. Internally, he still couldn't get over Reese's statement. Did I really crush Peter? What did I do that was so wrong?

-

Rather than continue his day dwelling on the fact that Caden would definitely not ask him out, Peter was on his way home to take a well needed nap. He decided that going to sleep for a few hours would be best since nothing bad could happen to him while he was sleeping, the worst being that he could have a nightmare but that was the least of his worries. 

However, his heart that was set on that nap sunk after feeling a series of vibrations in his pocket. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through multiple messages from the man himself, Tony Stark. 

Tony, being as impatient as he was rich, called him immediately after just sending Peter the texts. "Hello?" Peter answered, not even through reading the first of the various texts.

"Where are you?" Tony asked quickly, not greeting Peter as the boy had to him. 

"I'm headed home on the train because I'm avoiding people who could annoy me right now. I'm having a pretty bad day," Peter explained, wondering afterwards if Tony actually cared about that at all. 

Tony hummed a sound of understanding and Peter could imagine the man nodding with his sunglasses on. "Well, meet me in front of your house. I have something for you."

"It's not another suit, is it? I mean, that would be pretty cool... Is it another suit-" Peter stopped himself, hearing the man chuckle on the other end. 

"Just meet me in front of your apartment building. We'll take a quick drive, and then you'll see." Tony didn't leave any time for Peter to say a polite goodbye as he ended the call after the words left his mouth. 

Peter, still not quite used to how the man worked, took the train to his house that would get him there fastest. He maintained a quick speed as he got off the train, heading straight to his apartment building. 

The obvious black car with tinted windows was spotted immediately by Peter. He walked up to one of the back doors and tapped on the window. Tony looked at Peter quickly with his sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose before having Happy unlock the doors for him. 

"You're not going to be filming this adventure, are you?" Happy asked in his monotone voice, beginning to drive wherever Tony had wanted to go with Peter. 

Peter shook his head, meeting the man's gaze in the rear view mirror. Happy put up the divider to give Tony and the boy some privacy. In the end, the division between the front seats and the back wasn't needed. Whenever Peter would ask a question about whatever it was Tony was going to give to him, the location where they were going, or even just simply asking if Aunt May knew that he was being kidnapped by Tony Stark, the man would either shush him or ignore him completely with a minuscule smile on his face. 

Once they arrived at a place that Peter could only describe as an underground science lab, Tony brought him inside without saying a thing. Peter didn't say anything either because he was a mixture of excited and nervous feelings, he didn't want his suit or any of his gadgets to be taken by Tony again. 

"Sit," Tony instructed, gesturing to a large, comfortable looking leather chair. Peter did as he was told and Tony sat across from him in an identical chair. "So, I usually don't do this with the adults but since you're the youngest, I decided to splurge a bit." 

Tony wrote a number on a sticky note that he took out of his pocket and handed it to a very confused Peter. "That's for you, not in the physical form, but I've written a check for your aunt to store away specifically for you. It's for any surgeries or hormones you want to get anytime you feel like you want them," Tony explained, a shocked Peter Parker sitting in front of him.

Peter read the number multiple times then recited it in his mind. All he could focus on were the multiple zeroes. It was all for him. For any surgeries he'd like to get. He broke out into a smile, his eyes almost tearing up at the sudden wave of emotions that overtook him. 

He smiled widely at Tony, wanting to hug the man if he wasn't across the wide table. "Thank you so much, Mr. Stark. What... How did you even know about everything?"

"That's not all," Tony told him, glossing over the question with a smile. Tony took the paper again, scribbling down another number underneath the first one. He pointed to it with his pen. "I donated that amount to multiple transgender charities, I bet you'll be hearing about that pretty soon in the news... and there's one more thing for you."

At that point Peter couldn't imagine what else Tony had in store, and when he presented the boy with a box and placed it in front of him, Peter was bouncing his leg up and down anxiously.

"I heard that doing things like, I don't know, crime fighting isn't safe to do with a binder on," Tony started then paused, allowing Peter to open the box. "So, I whipped one up for you. A comfortable, yet very technologically based, Stark invention for Mr. Peter Parker."

Peter opened the box to see a half length binder that was obviously created by Tony because of the high tech and sleek design. In the center of the binder there was a Spider-Man logo which made Peter's smile widen. 

Glancing up at Tony's slight smile, Peter's smile faltered a bit. "Mr. Stark, this is too much, I can't take all of this," he told Tony, placing the binder neatly into the box once more. 

"Well, no one else is going to take it. Money, maybe, but this has been made specifically for you." Tony pushed the box back towards Peter, a determined look on his face as he took off his sunglasses. "How about you try it out for a bit? See how it fits, see how you like it, take it on a few test runs, then you can get back to me."

Peter nodded, looking back at the binder as his smile grew wide again. "How did you find out anyways? I was going to tell you everything soon. I swear!" His smile stayed wide as he admired his new binder, not able to take his eyes away from it. Peter looked up at Tony, a genuinely confused expression taking over his smile as he wondered how Tony knew anything.

Was it leaked somewhere? Did someone put something online? It could stay there forever, for years and years and years. Is he mad? What if he tells everyone about me? What then? 

"Easy, kid. Relax," Tony attempted to calm the boy's nerves with a comforting smile before continuing to speak. "May gave me some insight when you started working for me because she wanted to make sure I was a good boss. A nice lady, really. She obviously cares a lot about you."

Peter faced him, smiling at the thought of May and how she always looked out for him. Reminding himself of the Flash situation, Peter was sure that May would once again look out for him like she had in the past. 

"Thank you. Really, Mr. Stark, this means so much to me... thank you," Peter's voice cracked, causing a blush to spread across his face and his smile to widen. 

Tony shook his head with a smile. "It's the least I could do for you, Peter. Consider it a Halloween or Thanksgiving present, maybe even a really early Christmas present." He paused, proud of himself for choosing gifts that Peter was very happy to receive and proud of Peter for getting so far in accepting himself. "So, how about it? Are you going to be Spider-Manning it up today?"

Peter's eyes widened. "That's so awesome, I'm a verb?! No way..." he chuckled softly, shaking his head in shock. "Probably not, to be honest. Today has already been exhausting enough without scaling buildings or stopping criminals."

-

After a brief talk, ending with a hug that Peter surprised Tony with, Tony brought Peter to a subway station for his journey back home. Peter got on a train that would eventually bring him home, smiling at the empty box he held tightly on his lap. 

A few stops away from his house, Peter spotted a familiar mop of dark hair paired with black framed glasses out of the corner of his eye. Caden made eye contact with Peter after he lifted his head to let a mother with screaming children pass him. He took his headphones off, letting them hang around his neck and walked over to join Peter.

Caden took the empty seat next to him, offering him a grin. The boys sat in silence for a bit, listening to the rattling of the train against the tracks until Peter spoke up. 

"What are you doing on the train at this time? I've never seen you going in his direction before," he asked, hoping that the embarrassing events of lunch had left the blue eyed boy's mind entirely.

Caden let out a breath of laughter, nodding at Peter. "Yeah, I usually don't ride this train, but I found out that it actually gets me to my house much quicker. I was staying after school to work on something, and this train came first so I just jumped on. Besides, it's easier than walking."

Peter nodded at his explanation, meeting his bright blue eyes with his own dark ones. He continued nodding before taking a risk that he would most likely hate himself for afterwards. "Hey, where have you been during lunch this week? Today was the only day I saw you and even then, it wasn't for the entire period."

Caden held his mouth open for a few seconds, clearly not expecting that question to be asked. He glanced at Peter's present from Tony and then looked at Peter again. "I've just been working ahead of my classes, you know, getting ahead of what we do in class so I can have more time to... do other things."

Peter decided not to comment on the last statement, but internally he was dying to know what other things Caden had planned to do. Instead, Peter grinned at him, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Oh yeah, yeah... that's cool."

"I've got to maintain my ranking in the classes we share somehow," Caden joked, letting out a laugh that was booming compared to the silence of the train's passengers. Peter chuckled at him, shaking his head. "I can't let myself slip or you'd grab that first spot before I could do anything to raise my grade."

Peter gave him a serious look, confirming his assumptions. "Yeah, you better watch your back, Young. I'm right behind you."

As soon as the boys got into a comfortable conversation, it was Peter's stop to get off. He contemplated taking the train all the way to Caden's stop, but he figured that would be odd since Caden knew where Peter lived and what stop he would be getting off. 

"I'll see you at lunch next week?" Peter asked, gathering his things as he stood up. 

Caden gave him an uncertain look which turned into a grin. "If anything I'll be at your house for the Halloween movie marathon. And, we always have chemistry, too."

Peter nodded, waving to Caden with a smile before leaving the train. Peter walked at a steady pace to his apartment building, not very surprised to see Harper and his aunt talking on the couch. 

After greeting his aunt's girlfriend, Peter turned to May. "Uh, Aunt May? I think I might wanna start taking the train again to school in the mornings, and I'd take it home in the afternoons too..." he told her with an almost questioning tone. 

The woman drew her eyebrows together in confusion and then nodded her head. "Yeah, that'd be fine. Obviously be safe and everything, and don't take your eyes off of your things," she pointed a finger at him, smiling at her own faux seriousness. "You do realize you'd have to get to the subway, like, ten minutes early, right? You can't count on luck, Peter."

He nodded, completely understanding that taking the train back and forth would mean having to wake up a few minutes early. "I think it'd just be easier than to take the bus, you know?"

May, admittedly not really understand the boy's motive, shrugged. "If you say so, Peter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowwwwie I haven’t been on in a few days but y’all are so cute and pure and just kind with your long super sweet comments, I’ll be replying to them shortly!!!


	8. One of Those 80’s Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> younger sisters, vlogs, not Halloween movies, and sleeping

"What are you all dressed up for?" 

Caden turned away from the bathroom mirror to face his younger sister Tabitha who was standing in the doorway. He straightened out his collared shirt, buttoning the last button as he stared at her. The girl rose her eyebrows, waiting for an answer with her lips curled into a smirk.

"I'm not dressed up," he told her, self consciously glancing in the mirror before looking back to her. She crossed her arms, clearly not believing a word he said, causing him to let out an exasperated groan. 

"You're wearing your best pair of jeans and a nice looking shirt," she pointed out, gesturing to his clothing choice. Her blue eyes narrowed at him. "I'd say you were going out on a date with how spiffy you look."

Caden let out a sarcastic laugh, rolling his eyes. "You're 14, don't say spiffy."

"And, you're 16 and still a horrible liar," she countered, the smirk returning to her lips. 

He sighed, turning back to the mirror to look at his hair for what seemed like the millionth time. "If you really need to know, I'm going over to a friend's house to watch some movies."

"What friend?" Tabitha scoffed. "The only friends you have are Reese and Jackie, and you would've said their names if it was either of them. You are so going on a date!" Her smirk widened into an excited grin, living vicariously through her older brother's love life. 

"Peter Parker," Caden gave into her endless interrogations, "It's Peter Parker. Happy now, conspiracy theorist Tabby?" The use of her childhood nickname causing her to frown while he cracked a triumphant grin. 

Suddenly, the girl's eyes widened in disbelief. The words that Caden had shot at her in his exasperated tone settled in her mind. She bit her lip, her smile being held back by her newly straightened teeth. Caden drew his eyebrows together as she shut the door to the bathroom, turning to him in wild excitement and shock. 

"Peter Parker?!" she asked, clutching her heart dramatically, leaning back on the shut door. "The Peter Parker? As in one of the cutest guys in the class above mine and the class below yours? Since when are you friends with someone as cute as him?!"

The shocked yet confused expression of Caden had warped into another eye roll by the end of Tabitha's swooning, brushing off her insult. "We've talked on and off for a few months, but we're closer friends now," he informed her, a smile tugging at his lips. 

"Wow..." she breathed in disbelief, running her hands through her long dark hair. "Tabitha Parker..."

Caden scoffed, shaking his head at her dramatic antics. "Want me to put in a good word for you or something?" he joked, watching her stop her swooning to shoot him a glare. 

"That still doesn't explain why you're dressing nicely though. It's not like you're going to the movies, right?" she remarked, crossing her arms and standing upright once more. 

Caden felt a blush creep up his neck and eventually onto his cheeks. Tabitha stared at her brother for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing as if she was trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. Not wanting to go through the ordeal of coming out to his younger sister, and to avoid the spiral of her questions focused solely on his Saturday night plans, Caden passed her, leaving the girl alone in the bathroom. 

While Tabitha was left thoroughly confused in the bathroom, Peter was freaking out in his bedroom. Reese sighed, sitting on Peter's bed next to Ned.

"Dude, stop hyperventilating," MJ told him sternly, pulling the boy to his feet, "It's just, like, two movies at the most. Jackie and I are the couple here, not you two. I doubt Caden would want to stay around with you being a nervous wreck. Pull yourself together."

"Very encouraging, Michelle," Ned deadpanned, glaring at her from his seat on the bed.

Peter nodded at the girl's words, trying to calm his nerves by taking in deep breaths. He knew she was right, no one in their right mind would volunteer to hang around anyone that's nervous. MJ wrapped an arm around the small boy, leading him towards his closet. 

Reese stood up to get a better view of what clothing options she chose for Peter, but he found out that was practically impossible with MJ's tall stature blocking his view. He finally leaned against Peter's bunk bed, watching MJ pick articles of clothing for Peter to try on. "If I know Caden as well as I think I do, he's probably freaking out internally, too, Peter."

Ned gave him a look, throwing his hands up in the air to emphasize him giving up on trying to keep Peter calm. Peter swung his head around, his heart beat picking up speed.

"Why would he be freaking out? Why am I freaking out?" Peter asked with a sour laugh. "No one should be freaking out, right? Actually, MJ you freak out, you're dating someone so," he sighed defeatedly when MJ furrowed her eyebrows with a slightly confused smile, "just freak out."

"No, I'm not freaking out. I don't freak out," she calmly told him, pointing to herself with a smile. She pushed the clothes towards him, forcing them into his hands. "Now, you should probably go try these on to impress your date."

Peter stared at her, his face turning red at the mention of any possibility that the get together could be misconstrued as a date.  "This isn't a date, we've established that," he reminded her, an unamused look on his face. He turned around at the sight of MJ's smirk, heading to the bathroom down the hall. 

"Dress to impress, Pete!" Ned called out to him encouragingly with a wide smile on his face. Peter slammed the door shut without responding, leaving the three alone in the room to wait for his big reveal. 

"So," MJ began, the smirk still prominent on her pink lips at she directed the word at Reese, "how long do we have to wait before Caden finally makes a move?"

Reese's eyes widened, and he stood up straighter, crossing his arms. He thought about his response, glancing towards Ned who was watching him too. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he told the two, trying to sound as indifferent as he possibly could.

"You three are probably the worst liars I've ever seen," Ned told Reese, referencing the boy's friend group. Reese scoffed, looking to the ground to avoid MJ's raised eyebrows in disbelief. 

MJ chuckled, shaking her head slowly. Reese looked up at her with a questioning eyebrow raise which made the girl stop laughing and instead draw her eyebrows together with a smile spread across her face. "Jackie's already told me Caden's big plan, Reese. Although, it doesn't seem so big now that it's taking weeks."

Ned agreed, nodding his head as she spoke. "Yeah, this is, like, one of the only times Peter has seen him in... two weeks? It sounds pretty counterproductive, and Caden is acting like everything's fine."

"Everything is fine," Reese immediately went to the defense of his friend, "It's not like Caden is lying when he says he's working on stuff, he's working on The Project. When he's done, whenever that will be, he'll make his move, alright?"

Ned held up his hands in a defensive way while MJ cut into the conversation, sitting in between the two boys. "We're just concerned about Peter," she told Reese in a hushed tone. "Obviously this can't be great for his mental health, and add the Flash situation to the mix an-"

"Okay, are you guys ready to see?" Peter called from the bathroom, situating his clothes neatly on his body. Hearing the voices in his room fall silent, he stepped outside of the bathroom to show them what MJ had put together. 

It wasn't anything too fancy, but it wasn't super casual either. Walking into his bedroom, clad in jeans and a newly bought red flannel, Peter smiled nervously at his friends as they took in his appearance for a good few seconds. 

"If you guys freak out this much over something that isn't a date at all, I'd hate to be here when you do go on a date," Reese finally said, making Peter furrow his eyebrows with a blank expression on his face. Reese shrugged, a hint of a smile settling on his lips. "You look nice, not trying too hard," he turned to MJ, giving her a thumbs up, "Good job, dude."

MJ accepted the compliment with an appreciative nod, eyebrows raising she looked at Peter before her. "My hard work paid off," she stated, an accomplished smile tugging at her lips, "Now, try to de-stress, Peter. It's just movies, Jackie and I will be there, more importantly Caden will be there, and you have a great outfit. You're welcome, by the way."

Peter chuckled, letting out a shaky exhale but nodding nonetheless. "Thanks," he whispered to MJ, fiddling with the hem of the flannel. 

Ned smiled at his best friend, standing up from his seat. "Can't wait for you to make a move on him, Pete," he said, his smile twisting into a sly smirk. 

Peter coughed nervously, shaking his head a few times at Ned's statement. After all, he was the same boy that could hardly talk to Caden when he went over to their lunch table that day. He spilled his lunch tray all over himself. "You're crazy to think I could do anything." Peter let out a doubtful puff of air, the lighthearted glint in his eyes and his hopeless words wildly contradicted each other.

Ned placed a hand on Peter's shoulder comfortingly. His smile never faded, if any it grew in size in an attempt to give Peter some confidence. "You've got this, I'll be awaiting hourly updates," Ned laughed as a nervous expression washed over Peter's face, "Just kidding. I do wanna hear some updates in the morning, though."

Peter nodded and bid Ned and Reese farewell after their repeated good luck chantings. MJ wordlessly went into Peter's living room and threw herself onto the couch, residing next to May. 

"Peter, Jackie texted me saying that she's on her way!" MJ called out from her lounging position, making May jump a bit from the abrupt noise. "Caden's with her, too!"

"Alright!" Peter responded loudly from his room, her cheeks heating up just from the mention of the older boy. 

After MJ's statement, a smile appeared on May's features as she kept her eyes fixated on the television screen. "What are you guys planning on doing?" she asked, glancing quickly at MJ who smiled down at her phone.

MJ looked up at her with the same grin. "We're gonna be watching some Halloween movies, try to get Peter and Caden to make a move on each other already, you know... the usual."

-

Looking her best friend up and down as he joined her by the taxi she was in, Jackie could tell that Caden was dressed for something a lot more romantic than a night watching movies. 

"I thought you said it wasn't a double date," she teased him with a playful smirk on her lips.  

Caden rolled his eyes, closing the car door as he got in and sat next to Jackie. He looked at her, tapping his foot quietly on the taxi's carpeted ground. "It's not a date thing, you guys heard us say it wasn't. Stop saying it's a date thing."

"Then, why are you being a super nervous six foot giant?" Jackie inquired softly, not meaning to interrogate but more to understand his nerves that were all over the place. 

Caden pushed his glasses up his nose with slightly shaky hands. Looking at the headrest of the passenger seat in front of him, feeling Jackie's eyes staring at him intensely, he sighed. "Did I really crush Peter last week at lunch? Did I crush him by almost pushing the fact that this night shouldn't be considered a date?" He glanced at her, his lips turned downwards in a frown. "I keep thinking about it... and I don't want to mess anything up with him, you know?"

Jackie nodded in a reply, leaning over the almost nonexistent seat between them and squeezed Caden in a side hug. What he had said hadn't answered her question at all, but at the same time, it answered it perfectly. "I'm sure everything will be fine," she spoke into his windbreaker, her words slightly muffled, but he could still feel her smile against the lightweight material which made him relax. 

Caden and Jackie showed up at Peter's apartment as May was rushing out of the door. "Peter, there's microwave popcorn in one of the cabinets, knock yourself out," she swung open the door, stopping suddenly as she faced the two teens. 

She chuckled, pushing back the strands of hair that fell in her face. "Hey, Caden," she greeted the boy with a wide smile then turned to Jackie, pointing a finger at the girl, "I assume you're the famous Jackie I've heard about?"

MJ stood behind May and smiled at the small girl who nodded her head in response. MJ reached out, grabbing Jackie's hand and pulling her towards the couch, leaving Caden alone with May. 

His eyes searched behind May's small figure for even a quick glance at Peter, but he couldn't see him anywhere from where he stood in the doorway. 

May whipped around, searching for the boy as well. "Peter!" she called out to the mostly silent apartment. "Would you like to greet your guests? I can always come up with an embarrassing memory to share!" 

Footsteps could be heard throughout the apartment, Peter showing up at May's side almost immediately. He smiled up at Caden, not able to tell whether he was out of breath from his quick sprint or from the sight of the boy's rather adorable outfit. He repeated that it was because of his run, ignoring the fact that most nights he jump from building to building, scaling them without breaking a sweat. 

Peter turned to Jackie, flashing her a grin. "Hey," he greeted her softly, his smile faltering as he saw May's satisfied smirk and turned to greet Caden. The glasses wearing boy smiled widely at him, his pale cheeks tinted red. "Hi," Peter breathed out, staring too much into the hypnotizing blue of Caden's eyes to see May, Jackie, and MJ share a knowing look.

"Caden, don't laugh at anything Peter says that I wouldn't laugh at." May cleared her throat, causing the boy to tear his eyes away from the smaller boy next to her. 

Caden furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, letting out a small chuckle. "What wouldn't you laugh at?" he asked May, his eyes wandering over to Peter's pink cheeks. He returned his eyes to May, turning his lip upwards in a small smirk. 

May gave him a wide smile, switching places with Caden so that she stood in the doorway. "Pretty much everything he says. Teenage boys aren't very funny, they're funny looking though," she lightly pinched one of Peter's blushing cheeks. "Have fun you guys. Peter, be a good host."

And, with that, May left them to go on her date with Harper. MJ and Jackie, watching the events play out from the couch, looked at the boys and wondered what would happen next. Peter glanced towards Caden as he rubbed the place where May had pinched his cheeks as if he were ten years younger, closing the door to his house quickly. 

More than slightly embarrassed by May, still knowing she meant well, Peter left Caden alone to stare at the door. He wasn't in the mood to be a great host at the moment, rushing to secluded area that was his bedroom. 

Caden blinked, slowly turning around to meet the equally confused stares of Jackie and MJ. He joined them on the couch, looking at the display of very none Halloween looking movies that Jackie had brought. 

"I need my strong female roles, giant," MJ explained, noticing his looks at Jackie's selection of movies. 

Jackie shot her a faux angry look at the use of her nickname for Caden, proceeding to cuddle into her side when MJ shrugged in response. "I'm really good at providing this not-as-huge giant with some great classic movies. And, they all have great women roles."

Peter, hearing the muffled conversation occurring in the living room, spun in circles in his desk chair. He tapped the back of his phone against his jeans, wondering if he could quickly wrap up his weekly video update without anyone hearing. 

"Well, it's 134 days on T. Hey, future Peter," he waved at his phone's camera, setting it down to film at a consistent angle, "Uh, my voice is noticeably deeper which is great, my period has definitely gotten lighter - I can't wait until it's nonexistent that's going to be an amazing feeling."

He sat upright in his chair, remembering one of best parts. "Oh, and look!" he exclaimed, sticking out his arm in front of the camera, "Hair! Isn't that awesome, it's so cool." He smiled widely at the phone screen, looking at himself and how different he looked as a person than he did only a few months ago. "I think I definitely look more like a guy no matter what Flash says," he paused, hearing louder conversation happening a few rooms away, "but I should go, everyone's in the living room. Send me great future vibes-"

"Hey, Peter?" Caden knocked lightly before walking into his room. A startled Peter, grabbed his phone quickly, almost falling out of his chair. 

He shakily pressed the icon to stop filming, looking up at Caden's slightly amused expression. Feeling his cheeks flush probably as red as his Spider-Man suit, Peter gave the boy a forced smile. "Ye-Yeah?" he asked, silently placing his phone on his desk. 

Caden tried his best to suppress his smile, twisting his lips in different positions to wash away his expression. "Um," he started but then was silenced by MJ barging into Peter's room, forcing Jackie along with a tight hold on the girl's hand.

"Dude, are we watching movies or what? I mean, I enjoy talking with Jackie while Caden sits like a third wheel in the corner, but we came over here for a purpose," MJ complained, ignoring Caden's offended scoff from behind her. She glanced at Peter's phone, sighing, looking up at the ceiling. "You're documenting everything again, aren't you?"

Peter let out an embarrassed chuckle, quickly shaking his head. "No," he threw his hands in the air at her doubtful expression, "I'm not!"

She shook her head and turned away, clearly not believing his insistence. She walked out with Jackie still following along. "We're gonna pick and start a movie without you if you aren't here in five minutes!" she yelled to them from the living room, starting to go through Jackie's pile of movies. 

With the door wide open, Caden glanced around Peter's room from his spot in the doorway. He smiled, his eyes scanning over everything from Peter's neatly organized drawers that worked as a bedside table to the boy's scattered textbooks and papers on his desk. 

Peter's eyes shot towards Caden, noticing that he had stayed instead of following the girls to his living room. He silently watched Caden look around his room before the boy's striking blue eyes landed on him. 

Caden's cheeks flushed, unaware that Peter had been looking at him as he found interest in the smallest details in the bedroom. He was hoping the smaller boy wouldn't find the moment too weird, internally scolding himself. 

Caden quickly spotted a familiar book, trying to force the awkward moment into a significantly less awkward conversation. He placed a small teddy bear that rested on top of the book to the side, then presenting the huge book to a confused but slightly amused Peter. 

He gripped the leather bound book tightly in his hands, smiling at the boy warmly. "I used to love these books," he commented, glancing at the Grimm's fairytale collection in his hands. "This is a lot fancier than my own edition, where'd you get this?" 

Peter reached out to take the book from his hands, smiling down at the cover while tracing the golden imprinted letters. "Yeah, they're pretty great. I got this edition while I was in Germany," he paused to point at the bear Caden had previously held, "I got that as a souvenir too."

Caden glanced at the bear, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Germany?" he echoed in shock, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "When did you go there?"

Peter swallowed thickly, rubbing the back of his neck while trying to make his smile match Caden's ever so excited one. "I went last year, it was a part of the Stark internship," he spoke the last words quietly, watching Caden's smile widen greatly at the mention of Tony Stark. 

Caden looked up at Peter's ceiling, shaking his head in a state of disbelief. "Wow, Tony Stark took you to Germany?!" Quickly, a muted smile washed over his lips, making Peter feel as if he needed to reveal his superhero identity right then and there. "But, I understand you're not really supposed to talk about it," he added, a disappointed statement that made Peter about ready to lunge towards his closet and pull out his Spider-Man suit to explain the entire situation. 

Instead, he just nodded, remaining in his seat as Caden glanced around his room once more. "So," he began, his eyes landed back on Peter whose gaze shifted to the older boy, "what were you filming on your phone earlier? A project for school or something?"

Peter seriously considered lying, only going against that tactic because then he would have to back up his lie with a whole other bunch of lies. "It's stupid... embarrassing..."

"If you aren't comfortable talking about it, that's fine. It's not killing me to know or anything. I was just curious," Caden quickly assured him with a warm grin, making Peter's lips turn upward in a small smile. 

"It's just," Peter sighed, rubbing his hands up and down his jeans, worrying about the judgement he could face from the whole situation, "I was filming my transitioning video for the week... it's something I began when I started doing T, kinda like tracking my own progress throughout my transition. It's cool to see myself even from a month ago and how different I looked." Peter shrugged, smiling, his eyes looking at the floor as he spoke. He didn't want to accidentally glance at Caden in fear of the judgement settling into his blue eyes. 

"That is cool!" Caden exclaimed, Peter hesitantly lifting his gaze to meet the older boy's wide smile. "I hope future Peter enjoys you almost falling out of your chair." 

Peter smiled, his wide grin remaining as he laughed. Caden did the same, laughing along with the boy in the chair. 

Jackie walked in on the two of them, both turning to look at her as she stepped into Peter's room. "You have all night to laugh your asses off. C'mon, gays, the movie's starting," she informed them quickly, smirking in Caden's direction. She nodded her head towards the hallway, gesturing for them to follow her. She walked away pleased as they began to follow her, Peter scrambling out of his seat with Caden behind him. 

In the living room, MJ was settled on the couch, pointing to the beeping microwave as a signal for someone to shut it off. She skipped through the various commercials of the movie that she and Jackie had picked, and Peter glanced at the screen, immediately concluding that it definitely wasn't a Halloween movie. 

Walking over to the microwave after MJ's insistent pointing, Peter grabbed the popcorn carefully, placing the snack into a bowl and throwing out the microwaveable bag. MJ grabbed the bowl from him, shoving it in between her and Jackie, excluding the boy's from the snacks. 

"Uh, wh-what movie is this exactly?" Peter inquired with furrowed eyebrows, glancing to see if Caden knew the answer who looked equally confused. 

"Heathers." MJ chewed the popcorn loud enough for Peter to hear from across the couch in the very quiet room. "Duh," she added, rapidly resuming the movie once it stopped at its opening scene. She pressed play, shifting in her seat for extra comfort next to Jackie. 

"This isn't a Halloween movie," Peter mumbled under his breath, sitting down next to Caden. "This is just one of those 80's movies, did you guys even bring actual Halloween things?" he questioned although he was able to predict what their answer would be.

Jackie shushed him softly, pointing towards the TV. "We're providing the epitome of a strong female lead, and we're giving you a cultural lesson. You're welcome," she explained, her voice slightly muffled from shoving popcorn into her mouth. "And, this isn't just 'one of those 80's movies'. God, Peter."

Caden and Peter shrugged, sitting comfortably next to each other as the movie played.

-

About halfway through the movie, Peter had concluded that with the amount of murders in the movie that it could very well be a Halloween themed movie. Despite the characters on screen always yelling and arguing and the movie's overall loudness, he had begun to get tired. Jumping around the city almost every single night into the early morning evidently made him exhausted. 

Around the same time, Jackie had gotten more comfortable on Aunt May's ancient couch. She laid her head on MJ's lap, giving the last half of the popcorn to the boys, and she stretched out her legs. Whether she purposely meant to push Peter closer to the end of the couch where Caden sat was unbeknownst to him, but afterwards, he had a very good guess of her intentions.

Even though she was smaller than most girls her age, Jackie had strength, and if forcing Peter and Caden to be close was how it had to go, then so be it. 

Soon, Peter and Caden's sides were pushed against each other. Caden tried to avoid them having any further discomfort and pulled his arm out from the space between them. He gulped, realizing the only other option, besides keeping his arm raised the rest of the night, was to place it on the back of the couch behind Peter's seat. He slowly lowered his arm, almost wrapping it around Peter's shoulders, following as Peter watched his movements.

The boys sat with their sides pressed against one another's in silence for a few moments, glancing at each other with uncertainty. Caden broke the silence by looking past Peter towards Jackie, her eyes glued to the TV screen. 

"Now, there's about an inch left of space for anyone who wants to take up the entire couch," he deadpanned, directing the sarcastic statement towards Peter in reference to their shift in sitting positions, but he looked at Jackie as he spoke. 

The girl dragged her eyes away from the movie, allowing them to trail over to where her best friend sat, an arm around Peter Parker and his light eyes steadily looking at her. "If Peter had a problem with it, he would've said so, right, Pete? Am I bothering you guys?"

Caden quickly opened his mouth to reply before the boy sitting next to him, but MJ best both of them as she let out a harsh "shush" in reaction to their conversation happening in the middle of her movie. 

The three quieted down, Peter resorting to shaking his head at Jackie's question. "N-No," he shakily whispered, only able to concentrate on the extreme warmth that Caden's arm was giving off. "You're... you're fine, Jackie."

Turning back towards the TV with a rather loud yawn, Peter didn't see how Jackie flashed Caden an accomplished smile while the blue eyed boy groaned internally. Also, Peter didn't see the ending of the movie, falling asleep quietly on Caden's shoulder a half hour or so before the credits. 

MJ and Jackie whispered not-so-quietly about Peter and Caden, smiling as Peter slept soundly on his shoulder. Meanwhile, the older boy was too busy concentrating on Peter's wispy curls that fanned our against his shoulder and neck. 

"Well, if you weren't dating when you first arrived it sure looks like you are now," MJ teased the older boy, sending him a wink as she attempted to snap a picture of the moment with her phone. 

Caden groaned softly, looking up at the ceiling before he glanced back towards the girls. "You know I can't move, guys," he protested quietly, carefully not to wake Peter. 

MJ laughed as Jackie joined her in taking pictures of the boys. "You can, it's just that you won't," Jackie countered with a smirk on her lips. "Once you ask him out and he accepts - obviously - we'll be happy to send these to you both."

"It would wake him," he mumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes at their laughter. 

After finishing the popcorn and the movie, Jackie and MJ stood up to leave. Caden waved a goodbye to them, an arm still around Peter's shoulders who continued to sleep. 

MJ pointed at the small boy whose heavy breathing could be heard throughout the silent room. "When this loser wakes up, tell him even we couldn't handle the amount of gay," she made a wide gesture to the boys while Caden sighed loudly, thankful for the darkness to conceal his red cheeks, "happening in this room alone."

"I'll be sure to give him that message," Caden responded, sarcasm thickly coating his words. 

Jackie smiled widely at him, patting his hair, shrugging at his annoyed look. "Have a nice night with your boyfriend, giant." She scurried out of his way as Caden was tempted to reach across Peter to fling a pillow in her direction. The girls walked towards the door, whispering their last goodbyes and quietly shutting the door behind them. 

Caden shifted his eyes downwards, smiling at Peter's curls that fell onto his closed eyes. Peter looked much more relaxed when he slept, his breathing coming out in small puffs, making the thin material of Caden's shirt flutter. 

Soon, Caden fell asleep as well, leaning against the worn out but comfortable couch cushions. May came home to an unlocked door which surprised her but not as much as the two cuddling teenage boys soundly asleep on her couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been getting very inspired by older Paden and their relationship with Caden’s first drink, finding a surrogate, having kids (3 of them I think), and idk it’s just been a cute time 
> 
> I’ve finally finished junior year which oof I’m so glad it’s summer ahhhhh 
> 
> HOPE YOU ENJOYED


	9. The Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finally

Waking up to the not-so-quiet sound of cars honking at each other in the inevitable New York traffic wasn't how Peter thought he would be starting his Sunday. He blinked at the bright sunlight shining through the half closed blinds, glancing around the dimly lit room. 

"I guess May put a cover over us." Peter jumped at the abrupt voice in his quiet living room. He glanced upwards, Caden rubbing sleep out of his eyes only a few inches away. 

Peter let out a nervous chuckle, his movements restricted by Caden's arm wrapped around him. He got comfortable in his position again, Caden's warmth plus the blanket a bit overwhelmingly hot but nothing either of them would trade. 

"You stayed," Peter acknowledged, happier than he outwardly expressed, his wide smile threatening to blow his cover.

"Well, I had to update my sister on the wonders of Peter Parker's house somehow. She apparently has a huge crush on you," Caden joked, his laughter making Peter's head move on his shoulder. "You actually fell asleep on me so I decided to stay. I didn't want to bother you by waking you up, hopefully you slept well."

"I did," Peter smiled into the blanket covering them. "Thanks for staying, but sorry for kinda forcing you to stay." 

Caden gave him a small shrug, wondering if Peter knew that he would never have to be forced to do anything for the boy. He would basically do anything for Peter, he would even volunteer without any questions asked. 

"Don't apologize. Trust me, you sleeping was a much better view than the movie... way cuter than murderers. And, I mean that as a huge compliment." 

Peter sat upright to narrow his eyes at Caden who loosened his arm around the boy. "So, it's your sister who has a crush on me?" he joked, smirking at Caden's slightly widened eyes. 

Caden just shrugged, reaching towards the coffee table to grab his glasses, pulling away his arm from Peter's body. With a blush dusting over his cheeks he looked over to Peter, his lips upturned into a small grin. "So, breakfast? I'll pay."

Peter smiled widely, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, how can I refuse that offer?" He stood up, heading to his room to change out of his clothes before stopping himself. "Well, we are already dressed, should we just go as we are?"

Caden stood up, quickly folding the blanket neatly, glancing up as Peter as he did so. "A little fancy for breakfast," he paused, really wanting to say that it would seem like a date if they dressed this way but going against it, "but sure. Let's go."

-

Settling on a small dinner a block or two away from Peter's apartment, the two sat in a booth across from each other. After ordering, Peter found himself sitting alone while Caden had gotten up to call his mom quickly.

A vibration in his pocket was the distraction he needed to quit drumming his fingers on the tabletop and pretend to be interested in reading the specials menu over and over and over again. Despite the distraction being an embarrassing text message from May, he was thankful nonetheless. 

Saw you two last night cuddling on the couch and now you've disappeared. Peter Benjamin Parker if this is your idea of a secret romance you're not very good at it...

Peter quickly typed back, biting his bottom lip as a blush creeped up his neck and ears. 

Peter: Good morning too May uh no we aren't dating but we are at breakfast do you want anything?

May: Thank you genius but I'm alright for now, enjoy your breakfast date!

Peter: ... it isn't 

May: Whatever you say, see you later

Peter: What I say is true but I will enjoy my pancakes thank you very much. See you later May love you

May: I love you too!

Looking up from his phone, Peter saw Caden returning to the table. His solid colored button up bringing out the blue in his eyes, causing Peter to have a faint smile form on his lips.

"Sorry about that, my mom's a bit overprotective... especially when she sees that her sixteen year old son never came home after watching movies with his friends." Caden gave Peter a shrug, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "But, I explained everything... sorry again."

"Don't apologize," Peter shook his head with an understanding grin, "My aunt's the exact same way, she's even nervous with me going to school alone or me being home alone ever since my uncle... well, you know. Everyone does."

Caden's embarrassed expression melted into a frown, watching Peter's mood greatly shift as his eyes cast down to the table. Hesitating a bit, Caden reached his hand out across the table to rub Peter's outstretched arm next to his phone. 

Peter flinched at the touch, his eyes raising to the bright blue ones of Caden almost immediately. "I..." Peter was genuinely at a loss for words. He was a quiet boy by nature, but that never meant he had everything kept up in his brain like people would think. He leaned forward into the touch, giving Caden a grin. "Thanks for everything."

The older boy blinked a few times, surprised at Peter's vulnerability especially after yesterday's video situation. He broke out into a wide smile, chuckling a bit to himself before answering. "What are you talking about? It's no problem. If anyone should be thanking someone it should be me thanking you for coming to breakfast with me so I don't look like an idiot out here with nice clothes on."

"You look like a professional businessman going to a meeting," Peter commented, beginning to organize the packets of flavored syrup one handed as Caden was still touching his arm. And, he wasn't pulling away. 

"Yeah, because businessmen eat loads of French toast for breakfast," he deadpanned in response, rolling his eyes as Peter continued his insistence. 

"At least you made a nice impression to watch some not-so-Halloween movies. Not as good as my milk covered sweater, though." Peter pointed a finger at Caden, both of them laughing at the memory. 

Caden hummed, remembering the moment fondly. "Ah, yes. The sweatshirt that I never got back," he mused, laughing at Peter's offended expression. 

"You did so get it back!" Peter exclaimed in the quiet restaurant, his cheeks instantly getting warm, and Caden continued his laughing. "I shoved it into your locker... when no one was looking."

"That's what she said." Peter sighed at Caden's comment, giving him a look to which the older boy shrugged. "Sorry, Jackie would've wanted me to do it."

Soon, their food arrived and Peter, always needing to snack because he spent his free time scaling buildings, practically inhaled his chocolate chip pancakes. Caden watched in amusement, reluctantly pulling away his comforting hand from Peter's arm once their plates had been placed down. 

"So," Peter began, watching Caden nearly cut up his pieces of French toast, placing them in an order that seemed like it was something he did everyday, "lunch."

With that one word - the L word that made Caden sit upright in surprise - both of the boys knew what he meant. Caden still hadn't been at lunch, that would add almost another full week to the list - not that Peter had one, obviously. 

Caden flashed him a sheepish smile, his lips closed as he chewed thoughtfully on his breakfast while Peter waited for an answer. "I need more free time to work on The Project," he explained vaguely, fanning his hand in the air as if it was no big deal that he had been absent from lunch for a while. 

Peter furrowed his eyebrows together. Spidey Project? The project for the boy he likes? Project project project. Don't get your hopes up. "Oh," he simply responded, trying to offer him a smile of sorts, "what kind of project is it?"

"Oh, yeah... you'll see it soon. You'll know what it is." Caden gave him a smirk, it quickly turning into a smile at Peter's eyes that went up to the diner ceiling as he racked his brain. "Don't think too hard," he added with a laugh. Peter's eyes shifted to the older boy's, crossing his arms as he continued to wonder about the specifics of The Project despite Caden advising him not to do so. 

-

Well, Peter being Peter didn't listen to Caden's advice and, at the same time, put himself down for ever thinking that Caden's beloved Project was about him or for him. The Spidey incident seemed like ages ago. Peter had thoroughly convinced himself that the blue eyed boy didn't even remember the situation, and that he and Caden were destined to be friends no matter how hard that would be for Peter.

He had stopped paying attention - or at least, trying to not pay attention - to the fact that Caden wasn't at lunch the following first half of the week. He only saw the boy for a few minutes in chemistry as they were preparing for the lab they would do later in the week.

On Wednesday, Peter and Ned sat at their lab table, patiently awaiting directions from their teacher. They talked quietly about some of Peter's most recent excursions as the boy had attempted to distract himself from Caden, finding his superhero identity as the perfect way. 

Flash stopped by their table, giving Peter's shoulder a quick shove as he walked past. He continued on his way, scurrying over to his group in the back before getting a response out of Peter. 

Caden walked into the classroom after viewing the incident through the doorway, the bell ringing after he stepped in. He clapped Flash loudly on the back as he passed where the group of boys sat, flashing the bully a smile. "Hey, Flash, had a nice chat with Peter?"

"Yeah, actually," he retorted, talking to Caden's back as the boy sat down across from Peter. "We talked about your next date with Spider-Man. I heard that Parker was with... oh, I forget, which Avenger likes girls again?"

Peter raised his eyes to meet Caden's, hearing the laughter from Flash's group at his joke. He quickly lifted his hand, placing it over Caden's before the older boy could get up to defend Peter's honor. 

Caden turned back to him, his face softening and he visibly relaxed. He glanced down at their hands, one side of his mouth upturning into a half-smile. He nodded, understanding the unspoken protest to whatever would happen between him and Flash despite it being for good reason. 

Peter's face reddened, and he could feel the warmth, causing his usual comfortable layers of clothing to become very stuffy and humid. He exhaled, nodding to Caden before pulling away his hand. 

However, Ned was having the time of his life as he sat between the two boys. He looked to both of them, his head moving in a shaking motion as he continually glanced back and forth as they became heat sources, their skin warm as they nervously lifted their eyes to see the other.

They all turned their attention to their teacher as she explained the directions to the lab, handing out worksheets to log data as she spoke. Ned glanced over the sheet once more while Peter zoned out, watching Caden bounce his leg up and down. Is he nervous about something?

As their teacher let them go off on their own to gather supplies and carry out the experiment, Caden offered to grab the table's lab equipment. This left Ned to raise his eyebrows at his best friend, a smirk on his lips and Peter's cheeks gradually getting redder. 

The crackle of the PA system caused all of the students to turn to the source of the sound. Peter's eyebrows furrowed, turning to Ned with a look of confusion as the familiar voice of Reese rang through the school.

"Would Caden Young, and the other Decathlon officers, please come down to the auditorium," Reese announced to the students, the others not being addressed turning away except for Ned and Peter who listened. The PA system shut off just after Reese got his last syllable out, almost cutting the boy off. 

Peter whipped his head around to face Caden who had paused mid-walk to listen to the announcement. The tall boy brought over the lab equipment quickly, glancing over his shoulder at Peter before heading to talk to the teacher. 

"I'm sure this won't take long," he assured the boys before walking out of the classroom and down the hallway.

Despite Caden's assuring tone, he knew his "meeting" with Reese would definitely take the rest of the chemistry period and possibly longer. However, Peter and Ned - completely unaware of Caden's plan - waited, hoping to see Caden rounding the corner so they would be able to finish the lab properly. 

Towards the end of the period as it seemed like Caden wasn't going to show, Peter sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with his sweater sleeve. Ned knitted his eyebrows together, glancing at his friend before continuing to clean up the lab equipment. 

"First, he never shows up to lunch, and now he leaves us to do the lab work ourselves. Wow." Peter let out a bitter laugh after his equally - if not more - bitter sentence that criticized all of the recent actions made by his crush. 

"I have a feeling that this isn't Caden trying to be rude, he's probably doing something really great behind the scenes, Pete." Ned flashed Peter a warm smile, trying to stop whatever criticisms of the older boy that were floating around his head. "I'm in the dark as much as you are, but I just know something good is coming. Don't be so quick to judge him," the boy glanced around them before leaning close to Peter and whispering, "that's not a very Avenger-like quality, yeah?"

Peter eventually shrugged, figuring that it would be best to leave the conversation at that. Maybe Caden was planning something nice, maybe he wasn't. Maybe it was his alleged project keeping him busy again. 

"So, are you finally done with The Project or are you going to make that poor boy wait another year or something?" Jackie asked Caden out of curiosity, swinging her feet into his side as they sat in the school's auditorium seats.

Caden shot her a look, breaking out into a grin afterwards before he stood up to avoid her kicking. "Yeah, it's finally done. It came along really well, I think. I have the entire thing planned out."

"Ooh, The Plan to match the secrecy of The Project?" Reese sarcastically questioned, sliding his headphones off of his ears. He pushed Jackie's feet off of the chair next to her and sat down, watching Caden pace in front of them. "Hey, if you-know-who is catching onto you always being absent - which he totally has, by the way - I guarantee he's pacing around the chem classroom, too."

Jackie rolled her eyes, sighing as she pushed herself out of her seat and in front of Caden. She extended her arms, her hands landing on Caden's arms to bring his pacing to a halt. She looked at him with a smile, the expression deepening as she saw the worry in his eyes. 

"He's going to love it," she firmly stated, pointing a finger at her best friend to emphasis the seriousness of her point. "Whatever it is. You've spent weeks on it at this point, how can he not love it? You guys are the biggest nerds I've ever met besides Ned... All I'm saying here, Giant, is that you have nothing to worry about."

Reese opened his arms out to his friends, waiting for them to walk over and embrace him. When they didn't, instead staring at him with suppressed smiles, he gestured wildly for them to come closer. "I just sat down. There's no way in hell I'm getting up for another Cater cry fest this month, this boy's sleep deprived."

Caden wrinkled his nose, his brow automatically furrowing. "Cater?" he choked out, not sure whether he should laugh or make a further disgusted expression at the combined names. "That's the best you guys came up with?"

"Personally, I think Paden has a nice ring to it," a deeper male voice echoed through the auditorium. The three friends turned to face Mr. Harrington, their decathlon advisor, who was walking down the aisle towards them. The man let out a chuckle at Caden's red cheeks. "Not that I was listening in on any conversations or anything."

Jackie flashed a quick smile at him, looking to her friends and then back at the teacher. "By the way, Mr. Harrington, thanks for letting us completely ditch class right now for Caden's lovesick, eccentric plan," she told the man, raising her eyebrows at the boys who quickly got her hint. 

"Yeah, thank you so much. It's just... yeah," Caden trailed off, looking to the floor after he saw the understanding look in his eyes. "I appreciate it."

"No problem, Caden," Mr. Harrington smiled at the three friends, clapping the boy on the back as a way of easing his nerves. "I know how young love is."

Jackie and Reese both burst out laughing at his statement, watching Caden's face and neck turn an even darker shade of red. Jackie ended up falling into a chair next to Reese because of her hard laughter. Reese shook his head, laughing silently as his face turned red because of the lack of oxygen in his system. Mr. Harrington joined in with a few chuckles, all of them enjoying the reaction out of Caden when he was teased about Peter. 

-

Once Caden didn't return to chemistry, Peter's teacher assigned him the task to bring Caden to the chemistry lab during lunch to make up their group's data. Noticing that it wouldn't be of any help to outright say that he hasn't seen Caden much except in the class, Peter kept his thoughts to himself. 

He was given a responsibility. A six foot responsibility that differed from robbers or thieves he encountered in the city streets, but considerably more nerve wracking to Peter. 

To make matters worse, that six foot giant had a way with going unseen by Peter for long periods of time which didn't exactly help with the fact that he needed to speak with him. Although not his ideal way of wanting to give the news to Caden, Peter ended up texting him after his weekly shot on Friday morning. 

Peter: hey before you spend lunch working on your project you need to make up your lab data so meet me at chem at the beginning of lunch

He had to admit, it was a little harsh, reflecting the fact that he was upset at Caden for working on a secretive project and not letting anyone know any information. It was ironic, but even Caden and the older kids knew why Peter was acting this way.

"It's obvious that he doesn't want your attention based solely on The Project even if it is a plan for him - which he doesn't know, of course," was how Jackie responded to Caden's phone being shoved into her face the next morning. She had quickly read the text, laughing a bit because Peter did have a way with words - including making Caden aware of his actions. Then, she tried to give Caden advice because after all, they were best friends. 

"Don't screw this up," was all Reese told him, raising his eyebrows in a serious manner before nodding once. He pushed Caden's phone out of his own face, turning back around in his seat to continue listening to his music in peace. 

Jackie flashed Caden a smile, pulling him into a hug that was constricted by the bus seats. "The only time I really ever saw you guys not talking about your disappearances during lunch was when you guys cuddled up on his couch and slept." Jackie smiled widely as Caden's cheeks dusted with a blush, grinning as he kept his gaze on the leather of the seats. "Pure, nerdy boyfriends."

Lunch time came all too soon for both of the boys, Peter just wanting to get the ordeal over with while Caden was anxious to finally reveal his plan to him. Waiting for the boy outside of the classroom, Peter checked his watch about a dozen times, foot tapping impatiently.

The older boy turned the corner, the smile on his face quickly fading as he saw Peter's exasperated expression. His lips turned down into a frown as he picked up his pace to reach the younger boy. "Sorry I'm a bit late, I was just-"

"Working on your project?" Peter raised his eyebrows, daring Caden to continue his excuse. By that point, he knew well enough, covering his disappointment in his own actions of never taking a chance with the boy with anger towards him instead. Caden was silenced, his cheeks turning red was the only confirmation Peter needed. "Yeah, I should've known."

"I actually have a feeling you'll enjoy what I've been working on," Caden told him, his lips upturning slightly into a small grin that would usually make Peter's insides turn into a warm, anxious mess of fluttering butterfly wings. It completely redefined the feeling of just plain old butterflies in his stomach, and it could outshine that phrase without Caden even having to flash him a glance of his blinding toothy smile. "I hope you'll like it."

Peter was tempted to roll his eyes. He didn't exactly find the fact that his crush wanted to flaunt his famous plan to ask out some guy to him as an ideal situation. "I think we should just do the lab right now. Besides, wouldn't you rather have Reese and Jackie see it first?"

Caden's upturned lips instantly twisted as a smirk took the place of his grin. He shook his head, letting an amused exhale of air out of his nose. 

Peter's eyebrows furrowed, and he actually did roll his eyes that time. Caden opened the classroom door, holding it open so the smaller boy could step into the lab first. 

Peter turned around at the sound of the door clicking shut, eyes widening as he finally registered the situation presented to him. A smile spread across his face as he looked at the half-accomplished, half-hopeful grin of Caden. 

They each let a few beats pass by as Peter stared in awe, and Caden stared at him. The red sweatshirt held up by Caden displayed the familiar logo of Spider-Man, matching the older boy's many articles of the superhero inspired clothing he owned.

"So, this was what I'd been working on." Caden folded the sweatshirt, handing it to Peter who took it only to unfold it once more to gaze at it. "Sorry it took so long. Apparently, making your own sweatshirt takes a while, a lot longer than I anticipated to say the least."

Peter, his stunned silence ending as he blinked at Caden, felt the soft fabric of the sweatshirt in his hands, smiling again at the boy. "Uh," he started, a blush quickly dusting his cheeks, "wh-why did you make me this?"

A matching blush creeped onto Caden's cheeks. "So - or sew, ha sewing pun - want to go on a date with me next Saturday?"

The question, finally out in the open after weeks of Caden's preparing, sounded so familiar as if it was supposed to happen. As if Peter and Caden's daydreams about the other all led up to that one moment, and Peter could only stand there in shock.

Finally, he nodded, a shocked smile still spread across his face. "Yeah," he answered, nodding his head numerous times. Caden smiled, his face lighting up, and he gave Peter a quick thumbs up. "That was a great project, by the way. I can't wait to wear it."

"Don't ask me how I got your sizes," Caden told him ominously. A quick grin formed on his lips, laughing at himself after Peter shot him a faux creeped out expression.

"Thanks," was all Peter said as they start to mix chemicals, their hands brushing accidentally, and the secret happiness contained in the lab still remained.

"Isn't this a perfect date icebreaker? 'Where'd you get that totally fashionable sweater?' 'Oh, you know, it's a Caden Young original.'" Caden joked, pushing his glasses and lab goggles up his nose with the back of his hand.

"Oh, you know, it's a Caden Young original."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like I told one commenter a few days ago, I really love reading the comments but especially the ones where everyone is like “I don’t really like OCs but yours are the best and I love them” or something cute like that, those are my favorites tbh


	10. Lion and the Argonauts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a date, a story, and hands

Peter had noticed through his years of being a teenager that stress can develop two different ways. It can either build up, leaving the person stressed for multiple days, their hands slick with sweat and their heart always at a seemingly unhealthy fast pace. Or, the stress can come all at once. It can hit an unknowing someone with a force so strong that it makes them lose their mind.

After a week of spending his time daydreaming about his upcoming date, Peter found himself slapped in the face by stress. He faced his closet, unable to find any worthy articles of clothing to wear, the situation being much more stressful than the Halloween movie night. 

The boy, in a very desperate situation and stuck in a fight of his own indecisiveness, called Jackie, relaxing as she answered the phone quickly. 

"Big day, yeah?" she greeted him, Peter almost able to picture a teasing smile tugging at her lips. "Is something wrong? Ready to spill about the details that'll happen? Caden won't tell us anything."

Peter let out a nervous chuckle, the air huffing out as he ran a hand through his hair. "We're just going to dinner," he smiled, his lips quirking up at the thought of it until the overwhelming stress settled once more, "but I'm really nervous. Like, insanely nervous. What if I throw up or something?"

"Do you... feel sick?" Jackie asked confusedly, the hint of a smile on her face as she spoke with her eyebrows knitted together. She rolled off of her bed, peeking through her curtains to see Caden across the street with clothes strewn across his bedroom floor. 

Peter thought about this simple question for a second. He didn't necessarily feel sick, but the thought of something horrible happening on the date being his fault caused his hands to shake and a sweat to break out all over his body. "No, no, I don't feel sick or anything. These kind of situations just make my stomach sink, not just plain old butterflies... something crazy."

Jackie cooed into her phone, waving at Caden through from her window. "Don't worry, Caden looks the same amount of stressed. His clothes are all over his floor, I don't think he can pick a shirt to wear. You two are both crazy like this."

"I really don't think you and Reese are the best at consoling me, you always tell me something that Caden is doing, like, why to make me feel better? It hasn't helped at all." Peter exhaled a laugh, his breath wavering. He paced around his room, his eyes landing on the familiar red cotton that Caden had given him a week earlier. "He made me a Spider-Man sweater, you know-" 

"Wear that!" she instantly jumped onto the semi-suggestion, figuring that Peter was in the same predicament. "I don't know how to help you with the whole speaking to him issue, though. My guess is that you'll both be blushing messes every five seconds, but you both like each other more than you can admit, so it'll be a great time. I'm going to tell Caden to wear blue, it matches his eyes, and it'll be perfect."

Peter heard rustling in the background of Jackie's side of the call. He assumed she was preparing to leave to head over to Caden's, quickly saying goodbye to her. "Thanks for talking, I hope you're right."

"No problem, Pete. And, don't worry... I'm always right." And with that, Jackie hung up, leaving Peter to throw his phone onto his bed and grab the red sweater.

Pulling it on over his T-Shirt and binder took him less than a few seconds, but standing in front of the mirror, straightening the sweatshirt a million times over took significantly more time. He was forced to stop when May quietly knocked on his door, her ever present smile growing wider at his outfit. 

"Well, don't you look handsome? Spider-Guy, right?" She pointed to his sweatshirt, eyebrows raised that emphasized her bright grin. 

Peter choked out a laugh, a blush dusting his cheeks at her compliment. "It's Spider-Man, May."

She rolled her eyes, the action softened by her lips upturned in a grin. "Guy, man, whatever. He's still putting himself in dangerous situations."

"He's a superhero," Peter defended his own name, insistent on his stance over Spider-Man. "He can handle himself, I wouldn't worry about it."

"I came to check up on you because you've been quiet all afternoon, and I come in to see you dressed up. Are you going out or something?" May's soft grin melted into a smirk with slightly raised brows. Peter was certain she had picked it up from Jackie. 

"As hard as it may be to believe, yeah. I'm going to dinner with... a friend. Thai food." Peter twisted his hands in Caden's handmade sweatshirt, his fingers gripping the fabric tightly as his palms moistened. 

Peter's choice of words caused him to wince at them, watching May's face light up, her eyes growing ten times larger than usual. "A friend, huh?" Which can only be translated as one would expect a dog would react if a stranger walked into their house: "Who, who, who?!"

He groaned in response, his eyes lifting towards the ceiling. "Yep. A friend." Peter clasped his hands together, really trying his best to avoid May's sparkling eyes. 

He had texted Caden earlier at first asking him to wait outside the building, and then immediately correcting himself that the older boy could come upstairs and say hi to May. But, as Peter continued to stare at his ceiling with the thought of May's excited eyes bright, he started regretting his decisions. Even more so when, after a few beats passed and May was about to question further, there were three knocks on the door. 

The fact that Peter was slightly restricted movement wise while he was wearing his binder didn't stop him from racing to the door before May. He figured that breathing heavily for a few minutes wouldn't be nearly as bad as May starting to question Caden. Being questioned by his own aunt was enough, he would only wish that fate on Flash and his group. 

"Hey," Peter greeted the older boy, mid-pant as he tried to regain a normal breathing pattern. He noticed Caden's blue shirt that he assumed Jackie had raced over and forced him to wear as she practically did with Peter, too. 

Caden smiled widely, his eyes trailing down to the familiar stitching of the red sweatshirt Peter wore. "You actually wore it," he thought aloud, eyes lifting back to Peter's grin that matched his. "Does it fit alright? Is it comfortable and everything?"

"Obviously I wore it. It was a perfect gift, and it's crazy that you made this for me," Peter answered immediately, slightly furrowed eyebrows at Caden's surprise but their smiles remained. "I love it."

If possible, Caden's smile widened. A vibrant blush dusted across his cheeks as he looked to Peter, a faint pink tint settling on the smaller boy's face as well. "Well, I wanted to make you something special. I'm glad that you..." Caden paused, taking a second to appreciate Peter's gratitude and genuine happiness at his handiwork, before speaking in a much softer tone, "love it."

As Peter expected, May interrupted the boys' brief moment, their blushes turning into shades of good natured embarrassment rather than surprise and the butterflies of simply having a crush. 

"Caden!" May greeted the boy, slinging an arm around Peter's shoulders. "Peter didn't tell me you were the friend he was hanging out with tonight." 

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter watched as May smirked before the action settling into a grin. "I really love the blue, by the way. It brings out your eyes," May continued, ignoring Peter's attempts to step away from her and away from whatever embarrassment the conversation could lead to. 

"Oh, thanks," he politely said, a small smile growing on his face. 

"You look rather dashing, Caden, if you don't mind me saying. Right, Peter?" There it was. The awaited embarrassment. In a typical, over the top May Parker type of way. 

Peter shot her a look before he glanced to Caden's parted lips, bright blue eyes, and all around shocked expression. Peter felt his neck getting warm, rubbing it with a hand as he thought about what his response would be. He sighed, not able to help himself but to smile as Caden's lip quirked upwards. "Uh, yeah. I'd say so," he quietly answered, licking his lips before casting his eyes downward. 

Caden let out a chuckle, looking at Peter with admiration before his eyes trailed over to May. His smile dissolved, bringing his wrist up to check the time on his watch. "Uh, Peter?" The boy's head lifted up almost too quickly. Almost. The eagerness evident in his eyes, May watching with amusement. "I think we should..." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards the door, smiling apologetically at his aunt. 

"Yeah, we should go." Peter followed Caden outside the door, grabbing his keys quickly. "Bye, May," he softly said goodbye, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Home by 11," she warned, cracking a smile at the boy's blush. "Have a nice time."

Peter gave her one last smile, grabbing his jacket before shutting the door. He twirled his key ring - adorned with a trans flag and an Avengers key chain - around his pointer finger. Before catching up to Caden by the elevators, he straightened his sweatshirt again, never satisfied with how anything really looked on him. 

"Sorry about... that," Peter began, balling his hands up into his pockets. He dug deep into the fabric of his jacket, cursing himself and May and the world as he felt the date was already headed downhill, and they hadn't even gotten five feet away from his apartment door. 

That was, until Caden let out a soft chuckle, making Peter's ears perk up like a puppy's. "No, it's totally fine. You look great, too, by the way," he teased, flashing him a smile. "Your aunt is probably the biggest supporter in a relationship between the two of us, and I appreciate her determination."

"I'll be sure to tell her that," Peter responded, smiling up at Caden as he replayed the word "relationship" over and over. The fact that Caden Young could possibly want to be in a relationship with him was too much for his small body to handle. 

"Don't worry about it, I can just tell her when I walk you back home later, right?" 

The nonchalance in Caden's voice made Peter take in a shocked inhale of air, his breath wavering as he took everything in. Caden's teasing and planning for after their dinner sparked so much hope in him. The feeling was hovering on the edge of indescribable. It was pure happiness, topped off with Peter's grin to prove it. 

Peter lifted his eyes, the smile still on his lips, and saw the matching grin and happiness in Caden's expression. He gave him a nod, chuckling a bit before answering. "Yeah, uh... she'd like that a lot."

"Anything to make her happy then." Caden gave the boy a quick wink with a smile before walking ahead to press the elevator button. Peter's eyes widened, before sighing into a more relaxed position as he prepared for the rest of the night.

-

"I really hope you've had Thai food before because otherwise you're going to hate me after this," Peter warned Caden once they had arrived to the restaurant. He laughed, glancing at Caden then looking back at the menu. "I can sit here and watch you order something that'll burn your mouth for months, just so you know."

Caden scoffed, rolling his eyes at the boy. "I actually love Thai food so you're out of luck on that. I like you, but not enough to blindly agree to food adventures. Not yet, at least."

"Hm, noted," Peter replied, his heart speeding up a good amount. If he had been swinging by Caden's place as Spider-Man, Karen definitely would've reminded him by now of his red cheeks and raised heart beat. "Um, what's your favorite meal? Thai food, obviously, I mean."

The older boy put down his menu, propping his head up with a hand tucked under his chin. "Pad Thai. As unoriginal as that opinion is, I love it. What about you?"

Peter collected their menus in the middle of the table, brushing the soft fabric of Caden's shirt before murmuring a soft apology. "I always get the spring rolls and some fried rice. Sweet and sour sauce is just something you can't beat."

"Yeah, I get that. I always hoard the egg rolls whenever my family gets take out." 

Eventually Peter furrowed his eyebrows, a smile cracking at the situation and the couple's overall oddities. "Is it weird to talk about egg roll and spring roll preferences on a date?"

Caden laughed loudly, covering his mouth as he quieted down. "Definitely not, but I did want to ask you something. I think it might be too personal, though."

"Well, now you have to ask me." Peter mimicked the older boy's position, leaning on his hands as he raised his eyebrows at him. 

"Why Peter? What made you choose that name?" Caden's voice wasn't full of judgement or ridicule as many others had been when asking Peter this question. The name had seemed to go out of style, and many people liked to remind him of that - when they weren't calling him Penis Parker. He knew that a name like Michael or Chris wouldn't have been questioned yet he settled on the name Peter. As Caden sat before him, genuine curiosity in his blue eyes, he smiled at him.

"In all honesty, it was because of Peter Pan," he answered, chuckling a bit at himself. "I watched the movie all of the time, I could practically recite it. And, now that I think about it, I definitely had a crush on him."

Caden let out a laugh, eyes trailing from Peter's eyes to his pink cheeks. "Are you saying that I have to dye my hair red and start kidnapping children for you to like me?" he joked, smiling as Peter rolled his eyes. 

"If it makes you feel any better, I like you as much as I liked Peter Pan. Maybe I'll change my name to Caden because I like you that much." 

It was Caden's turn to blush and Peter's smile widened as the boy's cheeks turned red. "I like the idea, but it would get pretty confusing. Maybe test it out after Thanksgiving break or something to see if it's the right fit."

"I can't wait. It's definitely better than the nickname my aunt and uncle gave me when I was younger."

"Well, now you have to tell me." Peter shot him a smile as the older boy echoed his previous phrase. "I'm serious, I want to hear this nickname they gave to the genius Peter Parker."

"It was..." Peter winced, letting out a long exhale as Caden's eyes watched him with an amused smile. "Lion. That's what they called me."

"What's the story behind this? I can make up a story in exchange." He flashed the boy a grin, watching him moan and groan. Caden's teeth clung onto his bottom lip, biting back a smile of adoration. 

"A nickname story for your nickname story." Peter paused, letting Caden think this agreement through, and when he nodded Peter's nerves eased up a bit. "It's kind of a sad story because it all started with me being a very unhappy child after my parents died. Um, May and Ben tried everything to get me happier, and some things would work. What worked best, though, was this stuffed lion that May found from my parents' apartment. So, they called me Lion which was kinda perfect especially because of my curls."

"Aw, Lion, that's cute. I'm glad you were able to be happy because of that." Caden offered him a small grin, Peter groaning at the use of the nickname. 

"Don't start with that. Now, where's my name story exchange?" He raised his eyebrows at the older boy as if one-upping his story was something to be challenged. 

"I don't have any nicknames... except Giant by Jackie, and that one's pretty self explanatory: I'm tall."

Peter shook his head, a smile on his lip. "You're not getting out of this. How about your first name; Caden is good enough. Why'd your parents choose that name?"

"Oh, that's a story," Caden began, smiling as he spoke. "My mom is a history teacher, so it's basically required that she's a history nerd, right? So, she's in love with Greek mythology and had her heart set on naming me Jason after Jason and the Argonauts. In the end, my dad suggested Caden. It means spirit of battle which kinda ties into the whole chase for the Golden Fleece. Honestly, I just think he didn't want me to have a known name, but I would've preferred Jason because there's not really a way to mess up that pronunciation."

"I like Caden! It's unique. Would you rather have been called Argonaut? Argo for short. 'Hey, Argo, can you do this for me?'" Peter joked, laughing as Caden shook his head with his nose wrinkled. 

"When I said I didn't have any nicknames that wasn't a challenge to come up with one."

"Sorry, Argo, But, it's your Peter Parker nickname now."

"Great. Thank you very much, Lion," he deadpanned. "Now, do you have anymore stories to share or are we going to be staring at each other for the rest of the night? Not a bad thing, you're cute, but talking is good, too."

Peter blushed, not able to catch how Caden smiled at him and his rosy cheeks. "The only thing I can think of is my coming out story, and I doubt you-"

"I want to hear it if you're willing to tell it. I plan on knowing everything about you one day so might as well start with your Peter Parker origin story, yeah?"

"Everything about me?" Peter asked a bit nervously, thinking how that couldn't be possible for his own safety and Caden's safety. Spider-Man wasn't just about Peter, the concept was a lot bigger than that, and he wasn't sure if anyone could know that huge part of him. 

"Well, yeah."

"Okay," Peter started with a smile at Caden's determination. "I was 11, a horrible age because middle school absolutely sucks and puberty attacks you. I started going through puberty, and I hated it a lot, as you can probably guess. I got super depressed, all that dysphoria and shit. And, May and Ben were sad for my own sake because I'd worn masculine clothing since before I even started school but was pressured by everyone around me to become 'normal.' For them that meant that I should be wearing girl's clothing and growing my hair out. So, I did for a bit. Then, I started going by Peter in seventh grade but only towards MJ and Ned and a few other people. I eventually came out as trans before high school started although everyone could've already guessed. May and Ben were totally fine about it. They even threw a party and everything."

Just thinking about it, Peter was brought back to the humid day, the last day of summer before high school. 

Peter was walking home from Ned's house after their final day of summer, having said goodbye to the activities they busied themselves with during their two month break: playing video games, building hundreds of Lego creations, and trying to build a fully functioning computer through scraps. Unaware of Ned racing to the subway station and the busy planning that went into the celebration that was going to be happening at his house, he walked leisurely along, smiling as he saw multiple dogs on his way.

Peter genuinely liked walking around his neighborhood. Sure, the speed of the subway was important for going to school and returning home, but he liked seeing his neighbors, familiar faces, and he just needed to think. 

Eleven days earlier - Peter had counted - he came out as transgender to his aunt and uncle which came as a shock to no one. He had already been out to his best friends, Ned and MJ, but it was different to be fully out. It was different to be called Peter Benjamin Parker by his Aunt May when she scolded him for not clearing up his dinner plate. But, it was a good different, a relieving different, a huge weight off of Peter's chest. 

He was nervous about high school. He was nervous to go to school officially as Peter and not just be called it by Ned and MJ. He was excited at the same time, though. He figured that after most of his life contemplating who he was, he deserved to be just that: himself. 

After the short trip, Peter tightened the straps on his backpack that bounced up and down with every step. He was always worried that Flash or someone from his group would follow him home and take his backpack - and it wouldn't be the first time that happened either.

Peter was expecting a normal greeting when he arrived home. He figured his uncle would still at work since he wasn't home until late, fixing the neighbors' electrical problems around the block. May would probably be home going over introductions to the next article she would soon write for the local newspaper. 

What he wasn't expecting at all was his friends, aunt, and uncle surprising him as soon as he walked through the door, their apartment covered in blue streamers, balloons, and various other decorations. A hastily put up banner read "It's a Boy!" in May's handwriting, and the people that were closest to him stood below it with party horns.

"I hope you don't mind that we worked together to throw you a coming out party," May greeted the boy, blowing air into the party horn so a short noise came out of it. 

Ben walked up behind May, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We made cake, too. Ned and MJ decorated the cake and the house." 

Peter was shocked into silence, smiling wide eyed at the apartment. He took a few steps towards the table to see a light blue frosted cake with lots of dark blue sprinkles covering it - Ned's specialty. 

"Peter Benjamin Parker," he read aloud the script details on the cake with a teary eyed grin. "Thanks, everyone," he quickly turned behind him to see May and Ben watching him with equally wide smiles on their faces, "I love you guys."

"We love you more, Peter." May pulled the three of them into a hug, smiling as she squeezed her nephew. 

"It's Peter Benjamin Parker, May," Ben corrected, letting out a chuckle that blew a few strands of Peter's hair gently. "We're proud of you, son." 

After Peter turned back around to face his best friends, he gave them a smile, too. "I love both of you, too," he told them, giving each of them a quick hug.

"You're forgetting the best part of this, dude: presents!" Ned exclaimed, shoving gift bags into his hands. 

The rest of the day was spent opening gifts - a new wallet and a bottle of cologne from  
Ned and MJ, some hand-me-down clothing from Ben, and a few binders and sports bras from May - while Peter, MJ, and Ned all discussed the upcoming school year. The last gift Peter received was a stack of paper. He looked closer to see that it was a pile of printed out emails that had been sent by Ben and May to Peter's future counselors, teachers, principals, and other school authorities that informed them all of his new name and pronouns. 

Despite shedding multiple tears of happiness, Peter knew that was one of his happiest days.

Caden listened intently to Peter's story, smiling all the while. "That's such a great story, Peter. Ben sounded like an amazing person, I wish I had gotten to meet him." 

A sad, reminiscent smile appeared on Peter's face as he nodded. "Yeah, he was the best. He would've liked you."

"Because I'm such a nice person, right?" Caden joked, smiling in success as Peter cracked a smile. "See? Now, you're smiling. I don't want you to be sad."

"He would like you because of course you're the nicest guy ever, but you also like me," Peter said in a quiet voice, smiling down at his hands. "And, you don't like me for a good laugh or anything like that... I mean, I hope you like me for how I am or else I'd feel pretty stupid right now." 

Caden has a faint, shocked smile on his lips when Peter finally looked up from his slightly sweaty hands, his smile widening and eyes crinkling when the younger boy made hesitant eye contact. "I definitely don't like you for a fake Peter Parker, I can tell you that for sure. I do like you the way you are. A lot, actually," he added the last part softly, letting out a small laugh. "So, I wouldn't worry if I were Ben, and I wouldn't worry if I were you either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone sorry for the month hiatus, I was on vacation with my friend, but there ya go! WHAT YOUVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR !!! time to respond to those sweet comments some of you have left me


	11. Garbage Cans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hand holding, girlfriends, labels, frustration

The rest of the night was pleasantly spent talking, joking, eating Thai food - ice cream for dessert - and a lot of smiling. The looming anxious concern went through Peter's head multiple times as the night was beginning to wind down: What if he tries to kiss me?

Sure, Peter kind of hated himself for thinking so confidently that someone he liked wanted to kiss him, but he was genuinely scared. When the two rounded the corner down Peter's hallway, he started sweating. 

The thing was, Peter wanted to kiss Caden, but he also didn't want everything to crumble to pieces especially not after a successful first date. 

Caden stopped a few doors away from Peter's, smiling down at the boy. "I had a really nice time. I hope you did, too." 

Peter chuckled, meeting the boy's brightly lit blue eyes. "Yeah, it was great. We should do it again sometime."

"Peter Parker," Caden started, a smirk tugging at his lips, "are you asking me out on a second date?"

Peter could've sworn he turned as red as his sweater in that moment. He looked down at their feet, smiling at Caden's voice that was full of faux questioning and a huge grin. "Well, only if you'd want to..."

"Of course I'd want to," Caden answered, a hand trailing down the boy's arm until he gently held his hand. 

Peter glanced upwards to see Caden smiling down at their intertwined fingers. The older boy settled his gaze onto Peter's face. "Do you want to come in? I kind of don't want May to ask a million questions right away, you know?"

"Sure thing." Caden broke their eye contact, turning towards Peter's apartment door. He dragged Peter along, hand gently holding his.

"I liked talking with you, by the way, even though looking at you is great, too. You're pretty cute," Peter echoed Caden's statement from earlier in the night, laughing softly as the taller boy's ears reddened. "You know, one of these days I have to walk you home to repay your multiple favors."

"Maybe after our next date," Caden replied absentmindedly, shooting Peter a wink that passed by so quickly that he questioned whether he had imagined it. 

Peter drew his hand away from Caden's, reaching into his pocket to grab his keys. Unlocking the door, Peter heard footsteps approaching the doorway rather quickly.

Opening the door, neither boy was surprised to see both May and Harper waiting for them. The women smiled at them, sipping their coffee as Peter locked the door behind him. 

"How was dinner?" May greeted them, having to suppress her wide smile as she saw Peter and Caden's hands brushing each other. 

"It was great," Peter answered, hand brushing Caden's as he went to put his hands in his pockets. He looked to the other woman at the table, smiling. "Hey, Harper."

"Peter, I don't see you for about a month and you get yourself a boyfriend," Harper commented with an impressed smirk, pulling her dark hair to the side. Peter sharply inhaled, shifting on his feet. 

He glanced towards May, her eyes already on him and a bright grin on her face. He hummed a response, dragging his eyes over to Harper's dark ones. Starting in the direction of his room, Peter was dragged back to the kitchen area after hearing Caden speak. 

"I'm Caden Young, by the way," the boy politely shook hands with Harper, smiling at her. "I've heard about you from Peter, you're Harper."

"I am," she raised her eyebrows at Peter before looking back to Caden, "Hopefully all good things said?" 

Caden immediately nodded his head, causing May to crack a smile. "Yes, only good things. Like, how you make May happy and that makes Peter happy."

Sensing where the conversation would head from the look the women gave each other, Peter grabbed Caden's wrist, dragging him to his bedroom. "We'll be in my room!" he called down the hall, shutting the door as soon as they were inside. 

Caden stood in the middle of Peter's room, rocking back and forth on his feet slowly. "Oh, uh... you can sit on the bed or at my desk if you want," Peter offered him a smile, looking around his room in a self conscious way. 

"Harper seems nice," Caden commented, spinning in Peter's desk chair to face the boy as he spoke. 

"She is," Peter sat on his bed, wiping his hands on his bedsheets nervously. "I didn't mean to freak out, it's just..."

"Boyfriend?" Caden's blue eyes and his upturned lips radiating off an understanding vibe, making Peter instantly relax. "I get it, don't worry. I mean, it's only been one date. I don't think it's a crime to be unsure of a label for us yet."

Peter agreed with a nod, smiling as he lifted his eyes to meet Caden's. Peter cleared his throat before speaking, pulling both of them into another lighthearted conversation while Harper and May shared one of their own in the kitchen.

-

The following days at school were spent with four pairs of eyes on Caden and Peter. It wasn't ever explicitly mentioned between the two but neither talked about their date to the others. It was something just for them. 

Lunch came and went with questioning eyes that turned more desperate by the day. The couple would just look at each other during conversations and share a smile, making Jackie especially infuriated.

"So, are you guys ever gonna tell us about this date that happened Saturday?" Jackie snapped at lunch, the table cut off from their previous conversation and silencing at her question. She looked directly at Caden next to her then glanced at Peter across the table, her eyebrows raised. "After all, we did kinda push you guys together. Right, everyone?"

Reese, Ned, and MJ all had similar expressions on their face. Their widened eyes were telling, they had no desire to get between Jackie and her goal of revealing the details of her best friend's love life. "You're on your own, I'm not getting involved. That's a death wish," Reese snorted, shaking his head as he continued to eat his lunch silently. 

Caden cleared his throat, glancing towards Peter who was already looking at him expectantly. "We just... went to eat and got ice cream afterwards."

"Not that big of a deal," Peter added, trying to relax Jackie's mood with a casual shrug. Caden nodded, pointing to Peter as he looked at his friends, clearly agreeing with him.

Jackie slammed her hands onto their cafeteria table, a loud smack emitting from the impact. Several heads turned their way, her friends jumping at her outburst. "Are you kidding me?!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air at the two boys. She turned quickly to face Caden, his blue eyes wide and his mouth was open in shock. "You spend weeks making this boy an adorable sweater to ask him out, and then you guys go out for dinner and ice cream?" 

Caden looked helplessly to Peter, the curls on the brunet's head bouncing as he ran a hand through them. Caden gulped, chuckling nervously as Jackie didn't break her stare. "Well, actually... Peter suggested the restaurant and knew the nearest ice cream shop."

Jackie let out a slow, defeated sigh, running her hands down her face while letting out an exasperated groan. At that point, Ned interjected himself into the conversation, drumming his fingers on the table out of the nerves that Jackie projected onto her friends. 

"So, is that it?" he questioned the couple, a disappointed tinge mixing in with his short query. "Nothing else is happening between you two? You're just friends again?"

Peter looked down at his pitiful portion of chicken nuggets from the school, turning slowly to Ned with furrowed brows. "Well, we haven't really discussed labels yet because we don't feel the need to use one yet." He glanced at Caden, his doubts of speaking for both of them disappearing as he was faced with the blue eyed boy's grin. 

Ned cracked a smile, happy for Peter's own happiness as he watched his best friend lift his lips into a small smile. "What I'm hearing is... there's going to be future dates?" He tried to contain his excitement, his once small grin widening. 

Caden and Peter smiled at the boy, their cheeks flushing since their own excitement easily matched Ned's. With the tone of Ned's voice, Jackie lifted her head, leaning on MJ's shoulder as she watched the other couple's interactions in quiet peace. Even Reese pulled off his headphones, allowing them to hang around his neck, noticing as the table had their eyes on Caden and Peter - who had their eyes on each other. 

"Yeah, we talked about having a next date a bit on Saturday," Caden answered, reluctantly dragging his eyes away from Peter to face Ned. The boy's wide smile at the couple made Caden's pink cheeks morph into a deeper red. 

"I was thinking maybe Friday, if you're available, that is," Peter spoke up, a hesitant smile playing on his lips and Caden glanced over at the sound of his voice. 

Caden immediately nodded, not missing a beat. "Friday's perfect." He titled his head with a grin on his lips, watching Peter's shy smile widen into his real, genuine one. 

The silence from Jackie didn't last long as she piled trash onto both Ned and Caden's lunch trays. "Hey, can you guys go to the garbage cans?" She looked behind her, wincing at the full cans that were closest. "Darn," she dragged out the word, resisting the urge to smile as she watched Caden roll his eyes, "guess you'll have to go across the cafeteria. Have a nice trip, boys."

Sighing, they stood up, grabbing their lunch trays. Jackie waved them away, smirking at Peter once he was alone with her, Reese, and MJ. "You two kissed, didn't you?" Jackie latched onto the small boy's fading blush and vulnerability with purpose. 

Peter blinked, surprised at the girl's widening smile that kind of terrified him despite her dimples showing. "What- no, we didn't," his eyebrows furrowing and the crease between his brows more prominent as he was thoroughly confused. 

Reese let out a long sigh, throwing his headphones into his bag before cutting off another start of multiple questions from Jackie. "Can you not freak him out, please?" he asked of her, his voice tired with the conversation even though it had barely started. "She's just saying that it's a lot more... intimate between you guys, or at least, it seems that way to us."

Peter stayed in his confused state, going back over their last conversations in his head to try to pick and choose the points of intimacy that his friends noticed that could lead them to believe he and Caden had kissed. MJ sighed, smacking her hand against her forehead at his obliviousness. 

"Unless Caden has kept it a huge secret so far, I don't think that giant has ever kissed a boy," Jackie thought aloud, humming as she tried to remember an instance where he had shared a first kiss of a boy with her. "Plenty of lady kisses, though, so he's kind of an expert." She laughed, unable to remain serious at her own joke. 

Peter let out a weak laugh, watching as Reese shot Jackie a look. "I wouldn't worry about those girls, Pete, that was his denial stage," he explained, waving a hand in the air to convey the emphasis on it not being a big deal at all. 

Before anyone else could speak up, MJ turned to Peter, pointing a finger at him. "What you're gonna do is not be a total loser on your next date," she advised him in her version of a caring tone which to Peter sounded more similar to Reese's done-with-everything tone. Nonetheless, he lifted his head to look at her, giving her a thumbs up. 

"You will be perfectly cool, and you won't mess this up, trust me. But, if you do need anything," she paused, her eyes lifting to the cafeteria ceilings as she smiled ever so slightly, "you can call me because... I care about you."

"Now, was that so hard?" Peter joked, MJ being very thankful for the lightheartedness tone that settled over the table. "Thanks, MJ, I really appreciate that." They smiled at each other. Well, Peter smiled brightly at MJ who looked downward after offering a small grin to the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love reading through your guys’ comments and replying to them, they’re so sweet and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	12. Hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dogs, a confession, hand holding, Tabitha, and hugs

The school part of Friday passed very quickly for both Caden and Peter, the two walking out of school and heading to the subway station together as soon as the bell rang. They loosely held each other's hand in the semi-crowded train car, smiling gently at their entwined fingers. 

Once at the stop closest to Caden's apartment building, they got off, Caden pulling his hand away from Peter's. The action left him questioning, but he didn't push anything, brushing it off as he followed Caden's lead. 

Walking a few blocks away from the station, Peter finally spoke up, his soft voice just loud enough for Caden to hear over the crowds of people walking around. "Hey, where exactly are we going?" 

The taller boy chuckled, his bangs falling just over the frames of his glasses as he turned to look at Peter. "Lion, we are going to this little park I found out about the other day. If you're still not sold, there are lots of dogs always walking around."

"I'm going somewhere with you, so I'm already sold," Peter told him, watching Caden smile before he even finished speaking. "Besides, dogs are pretty great, too."

"Ha, very funny," he deadpanned, lips curling into a contradictory grin at Peter's joke. He purposefully bumped into Peter's shoulder as they walked side by side, the smaller boy shooting him a look, a suppressed smile threatening to grow. 

Entering the gated park, the older boy cleared his throat, sliding his hands into his jean pockets. The playful mood suddenly shifted as if the sight of the park's bare branches greatly depressed the conversation. "So... no one in my neighborhood, um... knows I'm gay," he said quietly, ashamed in more than one way. 

Peter's head snapped up as Caden began speaking, swallowing harshly as he took in the boy's words. Nerves began to bubble up in his stomach. Not regular nerves, like fearing humiliation, but the anxiety that came with being like Caden and Peter: the fear of people. More importantly, their snide comments that made Peter always duck his head as he walked into school with Caden by his side. Fresh off of the crowded subway where no one knew them, and thrown into an environment where everyone knew them had more things in common than not. The comments, the looks of disgust, the nose wrinkles, the whispers, rapidly separating their laced fingers and quickening their pace to either one of their lockers in fear of what someone like Flash would say. 

Despite the prods from Flash, Peter had never gotten used to the insults that he had received almost daily for most of his teenage years. He tried to ignore it, like the gust speakers that preached anti-bullying would advise them to do in elementary school, but nothing worked. Some days were worse than others, the internalization of the comments making him hate his body more and more as he examined it closer. His heart lurched at the question always in the back of his head: Why couldn't I have just been born happy and comfortable in my own body? 

To fill the silence that fell over them and to distract himself from Peter not responding, Caden spoke up. "That's why I pulled my hand away. I didn't want you to be offended, so I wanted to let you know now since I want to hang out with you around my house, too." Taking a second to breathe and to quit his rambling, Caden glanced over at Peter who, unbeknownst to the boy, was in deep thought. 

"Hey," he softly breathed, moving a hand to grab Peter's shoulder in concern. He watched with knitted brows as Peter blinked rapidly, shaking his head which forced his thoughts to the back of his mind. "Are you okay?"

He met Caden's blue eyes, forcing a smile onto his lips after letting out a sigh. He nodded, not maintaining eye contact as he lied. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just thinking." Caden clearly doubted that, slightly raising his eyebrows but eventually deciding to let it slide. 

"It's just..." Peter stopped talking and even abruptly stopped their walk into the park, retreating to the side. Caden followed with a confused look. He glanced upwards, offering a smile as he noticed the familiar expression on the older boy's face. "You shouldn't feel guilty about not coming out yet, Caden. It's not going to make me stop liking you or anything. I want you to do it at your own pace."

Caden visibly relaxed, letting out a relieved sigh. "We can... hold hands now, though. No one I know comes over here." He stuck out his open hand, looking to the boy with a smile. Peter was quick to entwine their fingers, his lips upturning as he squeezed Caden's hand when they began walking once more. 

"Then, we should come here all of the time." His comment was laced with the overall sadness that the couple felt, once again the fear surfacing. Peter gave Caden a wider grin to lighten the situation, swinging their hands between them as they walked. "Have you told anyone else? Besides our friends, obviously."

"No..." Caden shook his head, slowly looking to Peter. "Not even my sister knows... partly because she has the biggest crush on you."

"I'll have to let her down easily, then," Peter joked, eyes crinkling as Caden let out a chuckle. His tone changed to serious, glancing at the taller boy out of the corner of his eye. "Argo, I meant it when I said that I want you to come out to your family at your own speed. I don't want you to feel rushed into anything or pressured just because we're... holding hands now."

Caden watched him speak, his heart fluttering and his smiling widening at Peter's overall kindness and patience. "Have I ever told you that you're the greatest person alive?" 

Peter cracked a smile, rolling his eyes as a blush dusted over his cheeks but turning to see Caden's large grin. "No, but you have called me the cutest."

"That too."

-

After their date, which was spent pointing to various dogs with smiles and just enjoying each other's company, Caden led Peter to his apartment building, walking a few steps ahead of the boy. 

As much as he had been in the area many times as Spider-Man, Peter had never been inside the building or even in Caden's apartment. And, it was much nicer than he expected. 

Instead of a regular lobby, Peter was met with a doorman who tipped his hat at them and an expansive waiting area, fit with multiple leather seats and couches to make guests feel welcome. And, he definitely felt welcome. A sparkling chandelier hung above them, making Peter stop in his tracks to circle below it in awe. 

Caden laughed to himself, turning the boy's attention away from the thousand dollar masterpiece. "Don't feel intimidated, my house isn't even close to what you see here, it's basically just for show. Some rich guy owns the building, but no rich people actually live here," he gestured to the entire room as an explanation then pointed to the ceiling, "Our place is great and all, but the man thinks that being a successful business owner means having a decked out lobby. Meanwhile it's filled with pieces that no one in the building at their best could afford."

Peter nodded understandingly at his explanation, taking another glance over his shoulder at the room as they walked to the elevators. They stepped into the elevator, hands finding the other's when the door shut. They hesitantly met each other's eye, a matching blush on their cheeks.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Caden questioned with a slight upturn of his lips. Peter did the same, quirking his lips, but into a much somber expression. 

Instead of an identically smile of admiration, Peter's lips tugged into a frown, the mood in the elevator instantly shifting. For the umpteenth time that afternoon, Caden's features melted into worry, his eyebrows furrowing. 

"I can't, um... do tomorrow." Peter let out a shaky breath, trying to keep his composure as he spoke softly. "Uh, May and I are going to be visiting Ben's grave because tomorrow's the anniversary of his death."

Once the words were out of Peter's mouth, Caden cursed himself. He felt like a complete asshole, shaking his head at himself before looking to a very emotionally drained Peter. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Caden quickly spewed out, untangling their fingers to place a comforting hand on Peter's shoulders. "I feel like such an idiot, Peter, I'm sorry."

The boy shook his head, meeting his blue eyes which were full of intensely deep emotion, making Peter fall into his chest. Tucking his head into Caden's jacket with his arms wrapping around it was all that the taller boy needed to let out a sigh of relief. He slowly returned the hug, pulling Peter closer to him, laying his head on top of the boy's curls. 

The sharp ding of the elevator made the two jump apart, both blushing vibrantly as they slowly looked at the other. Caden chuckled, shrugging a bit as he pointed to the digital number on the screen. "My floor."

Peter choked out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck, warm with embarrassment. "Oh," he squeaked, quickly following Caden down the hallway to his apartment. 

"See?" Caden gestured to the hallway, walking around in a full circle for extra emphasis. "An ordinary apartment building, not at all like downstairs."

"I didn't think you were super rich anyways. I mean, why would a rich person only have, like, five different variations of the same Spider-Man sweatshirt?" Peter joked with a widening smile, earning a glare from Caden. 

"Because the rich have taste," he shot back with a chuckle, glancing at Peter who rolled his eyes. He unlocked his apartment door, immediately met with Tabitha's eager blue eyes that, alike to Caden, wildly contrasted with her dark hair. 

Her eyes traveled from her brother's slight grin to behind him, losing her words as soon as she laid eyes on Peter Parker. Her bright eyes widened tremendously, a grin growing wide on her face as she tried to contain herself. 

Caden gestured between Peter and his sister, beginning the introduction process before she began on her endless questioning. Growing up, she had definitely picked up that habit from Jackie. "Tabitha, this is-"

"Peter Parker!" she almost yelled, her smile so wide that Peter was afraid of what she would do if he didn't match her excitement. 

"Hey," Peter said meekly, his voice cracking as he waved a quick hello. "I'm Peter... which I guess you already know."

"My name's Tabitha, I'm Caden's younger sister." She stepped aside, continuing to talk as she allowed Caden to step into the room. He didn't want to wait through what seemed to be the start of a long conversation. "I'm actually in the grade below yours, isn't that crazy? I see you in the halls sometimes with your friends."

"Oh, really? Well, now I know who to look for to say hey." Peter gave her a smile, biting the inside of his cheek as she fawned over him. He looked behind her to Caden, his eyebrows and quirked lips offering a begging expression, desperate for a way out of the situation without being rude. 

It didn't seem like Tabitha was getting any hints as she stepped closer, leaning against the doorframe, a rosy blush creeping onto her cheeks. Caden watched in amusement as his sister opened the door wider. "You can come inside, you know."

"Thanks so much," he replied, maintaining his polite smile as he walked into their apartment. She greatly took the grin to heart, smiling as Peter walked past her. 

"Hey, there." Peter's attention was brought to a man and woman who sat quietly at, what he assumed to be, a dinning table. They both had dark hair, so Peter was able to quickly tell that they were related to the two kids. 

"These are my parents," Caden said, gesturing to each of them with a different hand. He pointed to the boy next to him, a small grin on his lips. "And, this is Peter."

The boy waved politely, his smile wavering as they stood up and walked over to him. The woman, Caden's mother, had striking blue eyes like her children did. They were kind, the smile on her face the same. "I'm Julie, Caden and Tabitha's mom," she greeted Peter with a large grin, him watching as they both looked him up and down. 

His father reached out to shake his hand, a firm shake but with a wide smile to contrast the connotation. "And, I'm Noah, their father." His dark brown eyes caught the light, his hair and eyes almost the same dark shade. 

Peter shifted his weight onto his other foot, nervous as they watched him curiously. "I'm Peter Parker," he told the two, not meaning for the introduction to be soft spoken, but the crack in his voice split up his volume in an embarrassing way. 

Caden swooped in, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder to help him in his anxious state. "Yeah, Peter and I have a few classes together. The advanced ones: chemistry and math. He's basically a genius."

His parents watched them, nodding as Caden mentioned the enriched courses. Lightbulbs went off in Julie's head, an impressed grin on her face and he looked to the small boy. His father seemed a bit disinterested, nodding occasionally as Caden spoke, as he had heard numerous times that many of his son's friends were in the top classes. 

His face turning red at the compliment, Peter shook his head with a shy smile. "Caden's super smart, too..."

"He is," his father agreed, smiling at his son with a nod. "I don't know where he got it from, but he's definitely a genius."

"Well, I should start getting dinner ready." His mother pointed behind her towards the kitchen, an apologetic expression washing over her face when she noticed the time on her watch. "Peter, you're absolutely welcome to stay, we'd love to have you and get to know more about you."

Peter shook his head politely, licking his lips before giving an answer. "Oh, no thank you. It's totally fine, I have to get back home anyway. My aunt should be coming home from work soon, so she'll want me there, and... yeah."

Noah nodded in understanding, giving him a quick wave as Peter headed towards the door. Julie did the same, smiling before retreating to the kitchen. "Hopefully, we'll seen you around here soon!" he called out, friendly and nonchalant tones lingering through his words that made Peter smile widely. 

Tabitha's grin grew back, waving a rapid goodbye to Peter which he chuckled at, waving as well. 

Walking back to the elevators, Caden cautiously held Peter's hand, smiling when Peter glanced up at him in surprise. "I know it wasn't a super long time, but they like you."

All of the pressure off of his chest lifted, Peter nodded with a relieved smile. "Tabitha, especially," the boy pointed out, laughing as Caden scrunched his nose and shook his head at the reminder of his sister's crush. "I'm glad, though. I hope they like me, they seem really amazing and kind."

"Don't focus on those glances, okay?" Caden interjected, practically cutting Peter off. "I know you saw them, but they're not like that. I wouldn't have let you come in if they were. I think they were just curious that they'd never met you before than anything else."

Peter squeezed Caden's hand before letting go, pushing the elevator button. "I think it goes without saying, but I had a nice time."

Caden nodded, his smile widening at Peter's words. Remembering their conversation from earlier, his eyebrows slightly furrowed and his eyes turned into blue pools of tears, upset written all over his face. "You can call me if you need me at all tomorrow. I'm here for you."

Before he could finish his sentence, Peter was wrapping his arms around him in a hug. Caden tightly embraced him in response, smiling as both of their heartbeats speed up their pace. Pulling away when the elevator arrived, Peter held onto his hand a second longer with a warm smile. 

"Text me when you're home safe," was Caden's goodbye, Peter giving him a thumbs up before the elevator doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mhm the next chapter though, you’re not ready


	13. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a sad day

Waking up from the euphoria of his second date with Caden was short lived as Peter woke up on Saturday. November 11th. The anniversary of Ben Parker's death hit the Parker household hard, and even though Peter had been mentally preparing himself for days at that point, he still wasn't ready in the slightest. 

He slowly got out of bed, sighing at the ever lasting silence in the apartment. In all honesty, Ben was always out early in the mornings, either getting food to make breakfast or stopping by the neighbors' houses to make sure everything electrical concerned was working properly. Despite that, Peter walked over to his bureau, picking up the photo of him, May, and Ben at his coming out party, his heart aching. He blinked away tears, letting out a shaky breath. 

He turned to his phone after it buzzed a few times. Watching his phone light up with messages from Ned and MJ made him smile slightly, the texts emphasizing over and over that he could go to them for anything especially on that day. Although he already knew this, it was nice to be reminded. 

Not long after he put down the photo in its correct spot, Peter's phone buzzed once more. A text from Caden appeared alongside the messages from his best friends. His lips quirked upwards, reading the sweet message:

Good morning Lion, I know that today will be hard for you and May so feel free to reach out at any time if you or her need anything, I've heard you both talk about Ben enough to know that he was an amazing and caring person which makes sense of how he helped raise someone like you... I wish I could say more to help but I just want you to know that if I could, I would bring him back to you two in an instant so you guys can be happy

Setting his phone down, Peter sighed and pressed his lips together tightly as tears spilled out of his eyes and onto his phone screen. He ran his fingers through his hair, letting tears flow freely to relieve him of the looming sadness of the day. He quickly stopped his tears, forcing himself to stand back up after he had collapsed onto the bottom bunk of his bed. 

Violently wiping away the tear streaks on his cheeks, Peter sniffled. He shook his head as his eyes wandered over to his closet. The door was cracked open, allowing messily put away clothes to fall out. Many of the shirts he had were his own, but a few collared ones and put together pieces were Ben's. 

"I wish Caden could bring you back, too," he spoke softly to his clothes. Even in his soft whisper, he couldn't bear to hear his own voice. It was tear filled, his throat closing as tears soon stung his eyes again, it sounded helpless and strangled. 

And, the worst part was that he felt as if no one could help him. The strangled noises he made reminded him of the countless times he had cried over the years as he helplessly pled to wake up as a normal boy, wanting to be rid of the taunts and teases once and for all. 

Peter stood still, waiting a few beats before he felt ready to face his aunt. If he had a choice, he would obviously want to stay strong for May. He realized that was easier said then done because while she had lost a husband, he had lost a father figure so they both carried equal baggage. 

Joining May for breakfast, Peter placed a comforting hand over his aunt's. She stood up from the table, rapidly pulling him into a hug. Neither of them stood strong as they had promised themselves, both of them sniffling with identical teary eyed expressions.

"He would've been so proud of you getting to this point," May whispered into his hair, rubbing his back as she felt his tears soak through her shirt. "It's okay to miss him. I miss him everyday."

Peter pulled away, once again wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. He took his seat, lip quivering at the thought of May's eyes on him. "He would've liked Harper," he told her, offering her a small smile as tears continued to flow. He desperately wished they would stop, growing tired of wiping his cheeks every so often, growing tired of being sad.

"Speaking of Harper... I don't want you to think that I'm going to forget Ben, I don't think I'd be able to if I wanted to," May explained, lifting his chin up so he reluctantly faced her. "He wouldn't want us to mope around for years, never able to move on with our lives. We both know that he would want the best for us, but it's cute to have your approval of her, Lion."

Peter reddened, ducking his face from May's wide smile. May eyed him, squeezing his hand before heading over to the kitchen. "I heard Caden call you that last week as he was leaving, and I just thought I'd reminisce." 

He ignored her, turning around in his seat to face the wood of the table. "I never thought that you were trying to replace Ben, by the way. And, if I didn't like Harper, I would put up with her for you," he commented, looking over his shoulder to see her smiling at the breakfast food she had laid out on the counter. They made eye contact, May titling her head before turning to take care of breakfast. 

"If it makes you feel better, Ben would've loved Caden," the woman told him with a wider smile. She popped sliced bread into the toaster, pushing down the knob as she glanced up, face to face with Peter's blush creeping up his neck. 

"You really think so?" he questioned, having answered Caden in confidence days ago but hesitant as he got May's perspective who knew the man better than anyone. He tapped his fingers anxiously on the table, back still turned to her. 

"Of course I think so, he's a great kid." At that point, Peter couldn't tell but May had a smirk playing on her lips before speaking once more. "So, should I start setting up a double date for all of us soon?"

"Absolutely not." A quick, stern statement made the woman chuckle, eyeing her nephew playfully. Meanwhile, Peter flushed, fiddling his fingers on the table top. 

"Aw, why not?" she further inquired, an innocent look to her face while her lips tilted into a sharp smirk that blew her facade.

He whipped his head around, shooting her a glare with an obvious scoff. "Because." He sighed, exasperation coating his tone. "Our third date cant be ruined in that way. We've been on dates, by the way."

"Oh, I know," she jumped onto the comment with a wide smile, shrugging at his furrowed brows. "You might be a genius but your common sense could use a little work, kid."

Peter gave her a sarcastic laugh, an unamused expression on his face and he maintained eye contact. Then, his eyes widened, small grin appearing on his face which completely turned around his outward appearance as he remembered what happened on their first date. "I actually told the story of the coming out party you guys threw a year ago to Caden," he mentioned, the smile growing into a huge grin at the memory. 

May shared the smile as she also looked back on the fond moment, her eyes filling with tears of overwhelming happiness. "Did you know, um," she let out a chuckle, tears flowing down her cheeks, "Ben was freaking out while Ned raced over here. He was too late on the gift part, claiming that I stole his idea, then he threw some of his favorite clothes into a bag and called it a day."

Peter laughed with her, shaking his head at his uncle's past actions. It sounded exactly like the man he was, making someone incredibly happy without thinking about it. The gift brought the boy to tears while Ben assumed the worst of the situation. 

"I really loved those shirts, they were my favorite because they came from him," he admitted, a tear falling down his face as he looked back on the happy time. "Thank you for making all of that happen, it was one of my favorite days ever."

"You don't have to thank us for that, baby, we wanted to make you happy." 

He smiled widely, nodding his head in understanding. He wanted to thank her again, a million times and more, for being so understanding from the beginning. Her and Ben had made everything run so smoothly since he came out, and even though it was difficult at school and other places, Peter was very grateful for his support system because many others didn't have what he did. 

The sizzle of eggs and bacon on the stove eventually filled the kitchen. May walked over with cups of orange juice, warmly smiling at him. "I'm glad you told Caden that story, it's one of our happiest days together."

"Yeah, he liked it a lot," Peter told her with a nod, more likely trying to assure himself then to ease her concerns. 

"So, that was the first date, right? What about the second?" 

"Yesterday we walked around a park, went to his apartment building, and I met his sister and parents." 

The simple sentence he spoke didn't at all wrap around the emotional day the couple had prior to that one. The unrest Peter felt once Caden told him that his parents didn't know he liked guys was something he would never admit to May, knowing her well enough to sense that it would cause her to worry like crazy. The pressure he felt while meeting Caden's parents was extreme, adjusting his clothes and noticeably shifting because he was afraid that everything about him would scream trans. And, the glances and looks he got just made his anxiety skyrocket. Overall, it was a draining few hours. 

"Got their approval for the wedding yet?" May couldn't resist herself, a smirk playing on her lips as a blush dusted her nephew's cheeks once again. 

"Contrary to popular belief... no." He started to tap his fingernails on the glass in front of him, the noise making soft clinks as he rolled his eyes at May's comment. "Caden's parents don't know that he's gay."

"Oh." May blinked a few times, somewhat shocked, somewhat surprised. "Did they say anything to you?"

"I think I passed the boy test, if that's what you're insinuating." Peter shrugged, a half smile tugging at his lips. "And they think we're just friends."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I want him to be happy," he answered quickly, the honest answer spilling from his lips as soon as the question left her mouth. He didn't have to think about it for a second; it was all truth. The statement hung in the air for a few beats before he cleared his throat with pink cheeks. "I don't want him to feel pressured to come out or anything. I'm fine with it, honestly."

"Well, he's very lucky to be with someone that thinks like you, Peter. I'm proud of you." She gave him a wide grin, placing a warm hand on his cheek and rubbing his soft skin with her thumb for a second. "How did you become such an understanding and kind person?" 

"I was raised by the best, you know," he melted into her comforting touch with a soft, closed lipped smile. "Also, uh, the Harper thing... she said we were boyfriends, but... I don't know."

"Oh, yes." The woman pulled her hand away, sitting straighter as the subject of her girlfriend came into play, nodding in understanding Peter's awkward situation with Harper. "She called a few times to apologize for that, I forgot until now to pass the message along, but she's sorry for creating that tension."

"She didn't know, it's all good." Peter shrugged it off, knowing the woman long enough to know that she wouldn't purposefully want to create that situation between Caden and Peter on purpose. Harper was a genuine good person, he wasn't lying when he told May that he liked her. "And, it actually started that infamous 'what are we?' conversation, so... it was a good thing, I guess," he added, eyes following May as she stood up to bring over breakfast for the two of them. 

"And, what'd you guys come up with?" she asked curiously, a happy tinge to her tone, making Peter assume that she had a smile on her lips. 

"We go on dates, and we hold hands. No official label yet, but it's kind of the best thing ever," he simply said, quickly covering his warm cheeks as he leaned his elbows on the table. He felt embarrassed as to blush every time the older boy was mentioned, but he couldn't help it. He smiled every time he even thought about Caden, so how could anyone blame him for getting red in the face whenever someone mentioned that were in a relationship?

"Funny," May mused, placing a plate in front of Peter's face. "Ben and I started with our holding hands relationship phase, too."

-

After another long, emotionally draining day of tears and visiting Ben's grave, both of the Parkers trying to think up their best story of Ben to keep his memory alive, Peter fell onto his bed. The flash of bright red of his suit jogged his memory, noting that it was somewhat close to Thanksgiving as he grabbed his phone next to him. 

With a crackle of some static on the other end of the call, Peter held his breath, hoping that Tony didn't send the call to voicemail. In all honesty, he needed to talk to someone who wasn't thoroughly involved in his home life. 

"Hey, kid, is something wrong?" the man immediately questioned. Peter could picture his eyebrows furrowed over his sunglasses which he always wore, even indoors. 

Peter let out a huff of laughter, an emotion he instantly felt guilty about considering the day and the sadness that surrounded it. "Um, n-no. Everything's fine."

Tony hummed on the other end, waiting for the boy to elaborate, and when he didn't, he sighed softly into the phone. "So... why the call? You have a question or something?"

"I just wanted to say thank you again for your gifts. Like, the money's just mind blowing, it really is, but the binder is the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. I love it a lot."

Talking about the binder that he currently wore and had been wearing almost every day since he received it left a huge smile on his face. He figured that if Ben was somehow watching over the house on that day, he would much rather see Peter smiling widely as he spoke on the phone then see him curled up in bed all day with a box of tissues. 

"I'm glad it's getting use, especially out in action." Tony cracked a smile at Peter's rambling, the boy's genuine happiness shown in the way he spoke about the binder, his voice sounding as if he couldn't contain his excitement. "I've seen the news and you're everywhere, like always, but I'm just glad you're being safe this time around."

Sitting on his desk chair, Peter swiveled a few times, feeling the soft leather between his fingers as he tried to speak his true thoughts. "I just have one more thing to say. Well, a few more things."

"What is it?"

"I don't wanna be weird or-"

"Kid, just spit it out," the man cut him off with a firm statement, Peter imagining him taking off his sunglasses to look at him sternly. When Tony Stark didn't want any bullshit, he didn't get bullshit. 

Peter, chuckling nervously, nodded his head. Realizing the man obviously couldn't see him, he stuttered out a response before swallowing harshly. Tears started to prick at his eyes for the millionth time that day when he started to began, letting out a sniffle as an attempt to maintain his composure. 

"I doubt you know, but a year ago today my uncle died from a gunshot wound from a robber that had gotten into our apartment. A few weeks later, I got my powers. That's besides the point, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm really thankful for you," he paused, allowing time for the man to comment or even hang up the phone if the conversation seemed to be crossing some type of boundary. Peter let out a breath as he heard Tony urge him in a quiet voice to continue, so he did. "The way you've been like a mentor and guided me through all this... I don't know," he smiled, a few tears having made an escape down his cheeks, "I just appreciate it so much. Thank you."

Tony hummed for a second, otherwise the phone call going silent as Peter waited for any type of response. "I'm sorry, Peter, I didn't realize you and May were going through this so soon," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, sighing, "I should've known that, right?"

"N-No! No, no... Mr. Stark, you don't have to apologize, how could you have known anyways?" Peter was quick to leap onto the man's sheepish apologies with almost violent head shaking, assuring him that everything was alright, nothing of the sort was expected of him.

"Hey, it's no problem, Spider-Man. I have a feeling your Uncle Ben would've wanted someone to lead you through this time, and I'm glad to be that person." 

Ending the call with a million more thank yous, Peter allowed Tony to hang up, smiling as the man wished him to have a happier day tomorrow and to reach out if anything happened concerning the binder and the suit in general. More importantly, Peter ended the call with a nod, knowing that Ben would've most definitely wanted someone like Tony Stark to guide him in the world of superheroes and crime fighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helloooo everyone, I hope you are having a spectacular last August day (even if many of you have school so rip that, I start in like 2 weeks ugh) I know this chapter won’t make you feel any better bc it’s pretty sad, but perhaps it will?


	14. A Perfect Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it’s just a perfect moment.

Peter was especially grateful for Tony Stark's technologically advanced suit when December rolled around. Winter in the city wasn't nearly as harsh as some areas of the state, but it wasn't the best weather. That's why, until he had the new suit, his patrols had been limited to a small area with easy access to either his own or Ned's apartment. 

Able to jump around the city freely without worry of freezing from a homemade suit, Peter couldn't contain his smile as he got closer to Caden's apartment. 

Walking across the roof of the Jackie's building, he allowed the brisk air of the winter day to cool him down, disabling the automatic heating for a second as it become uncomfortably warm. As quickly as he turned it off, Peter switched the heat back on again, clearly underestimating the harshness of the city's frost. 

Finally perfecting his landing, attaching a web to the side of Caden's rooftop, he swung on his web as if it were a vine and balanced on the windowsill next to a snow covered potted plant. He observed the boy through the window, watching as his eyebrows furrowed while scribbling down something in a notebook. 

Peter heart pounded at the sight of him, tapping on the window lightly, his smile widening at his surprised blue eyes. Peter waved to him, Caden returning the gesture slowly and walking over to unlock his window. 

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while," the older boy commented, shivering as he cracked open the window once the masked hero was inside his room, allowing an easy escape route for Spider-Man if need be. 

"It's only been a few weeks," he responded, shooting a web out to pull Caden's chair over so he could rest on it. The boy looked to him with an amused smile, shaking his head as the red and blue clad hero sat down. "You looked like you were concentrating hard there." Peter let out a laugh, gesturing to the notebook on his desk. 

"Oh, yeah," Caden looked back to the paper, rolling his eyes as he returned the gaze, "I'm trying to narrow down the gift list for my friends and... that boy I told you about earlier..."

"Ah," Peter drew out the word, his cheeks heating up as a smile grew on his lips. "So, things worked out?"

"Yeah, it worked perfectly, I think." The wide flashy smile that Caden wore, looking down at the superhero in his chair, made Peter's heart flutter. "You're kind of a genius, Spidey."

Peter dramatically waved his hands in the air to dismiss the idea before snickering, shaking his head. "No, that was all you, dude. I'm glad things are good now."

Quickly, Caden's eyes glazed over, the wide smile shining as it remained, practically oozing happiness. "He's... amazing. We've been going out for more than a month, so obviously I really like him," he waved a dismissive hand towards his notebook, crumpled pages of loose leaf surrounding his desk, "I've been trying to find a perfect gift for him because - and I don't know what he thinks we are - I want to ask him to be my boyfriend."

To say that Peter Parker's face flushed red underneath his mask was an understatement. He would've gladly jumped up, swinging through the city with a smile of disbelief and joy plastered onto his face if not for the anxious nature to Caden's plans. And, with that, Peter's smile faltered. 

"Is something wrong with that? I think that's sounds amazing," was Peter's questioning response, shrugging as he thoroughly encouraged the idea. Not that he was biased or anything. 

Caden let out a long sigh, running his hands down his face. He yawned softly, shaking his head before answering. "Not exactly, there's nothing wrong with him it's just- I'll just say that the actual world, even outside of my bedroom, isn't how it is when we're alone."

Peter nodded, a pang of deep understanding hit his heart. He couldn't lie, though, the times they spent holding hands in private, among their friends, when they did homework together and joked, and when they complimented or teased each other - always with a smile and and a nickname thrown at the end - it wasn't the same in the public eye. His heart was stomped on at Caden's defeated expression, glancing in the same direction the older boy looked: his bedroom door. 

"Hey," he softly spoke, his voice just barely reaching Caden's ears as his mask muffled it. "I may not understand how you feel with your family, if that's what you're getting at, but I do know about the world. Do you know how hard it is to be young and given the power to save hundreds of people, all of New York City depending on you? And not to mention the superheroes that didn't, and still don't, have faith in me. They think I'm just a kid, that I should just leave it up to them. Even the city still has trouble accepting my existence here, only remembering when I first started out and I may have started a few fires or something."

Successfully, Peter got Caden to let out a chuckle, the older boy attentive to every word he spoke. Peter laughed with him, shaking his head at himself from a year earlier, still learning the ropes of the entire superhero gig. 

"You don't get a manual when you get your powers, and it was really hard. It's still hard thinking that people only see me and useless and, well, an insect," another laugh, a grin, shaking his head, covering his smile with his hand. Peter melted. "What I know is that lots of people will never accept me or encourage me. Even if I saved them, trying not to harm them in any way, they'd probably push me away, curse me out or something." Peter paused, pointing a red covered finger at Caden whose eyes widened slightly. "You and that boy, I bet you already have heard this too many times to count, but you have to know that lots of people will never accept you. It totally sucks and it's heartbreaking and I know you hate it, but it's true. You're trying to live your best life, and I personally think you should just keep on doing that."

Considering Caden's awestruck grin as enough of a response, Peter flung open the window and jumped out, returning to his patrol with a smile. 

-

"Secret Santa time!" Jackie yelled out, rapidly tapping her legs in an excited drumroll. 

The group of friends followed behind her into a small cafe that was easy to get to from all of their houses. She hurled the massive bag of wrapped gifts through the doorway, giggling as she danced around towards her seat. 

"If you do jazz hands, I'm breaking up with you," MJ warned with an expressionless tone. However, her lips were slightly upturned, a smile that could be missed by anyone who wasn't looking specifically for it. 

"Good thing I already did them on the train ride here!" Jackie placed the bag at her feet, grinning widely to her girlfriend. 

"Girls," Reese groaned, pulling off his hat and peeling off his jacket in the warm cafe.

"Idiots," Jackie shot back with a slight glare, wrinkling her nose at her friend, "except you, Ned and Peter, we love you." Her expression did a complete 180, a smile returning to her face as she pointed to the pair of best friends. 

"Debatable." Ned shrugged, glancing towards MJ. Her lips curled into an approving smirk. She nodded her head once, taking her seat next to Jackie. 

"So," Caden clapped his hands together, catching Peter's glance towards him with a small grin, "how's this gonna work? We've never done this sort of thing before."

Peter, sitting comfortably next to Caden, reached an outstretched hand towards the gifts only to be swatted away by Jackie. "Nope! I, as the organizer of Secret Santa, will hand out the gifts to everyone." She pointed a finger towards him, giving Caden a look. "We don't like him anymore, okay?"

"On what degree don't we like him anymore? I'm kinda hoping it's more of a friend level than dating wise because I like him a lot." 

Jackie wrinkled her nose, watching the couple share a smile then entwine their fingers messily. Her girlfriend next to her scoffed, shaking her head. "You're gonna need to stop holding hands to open gifts, you know," MJ told the two with a smirk. 

Reese picked out the first gift in the bag, abruptly disrupting the humorous conversation. "Ned, it's for you." He scanned the tag quickly, tossing it to the boy next to him. 

"That's one way to get things started," Jackie muttered, cracking a smile when MJ nudged her shoulder. 

Ned unwrapped the gift without saying a word, admittedly too nervous to interject a point as Jackie would most likely end his life on the spot. He perked up upon seeing a LEGO themed zip up sweater in the box, smiling down at the cotton material. 

"What'd you get?" Reese questioned, sneaking a glance over the boy's shoulder. He smiled, taking the box out of Ned's hands to hold it up for the group to see.

The group responded with grins and compliments on the gift, Ned nodding along with the 'ohhs' and 'ahhs' of his friends. 

"I was your Secret Santa," Caden revealed shortly after Ned opened the gift. He smiled at Ned, a hopeful glint in his eye. "I guess you liked it, huh?"

"Dude, it's awesome!" Ned exclaimed, smiling widely at the older boy. "Thank you so much."

Caden waved a hand, shaking his head as a sign that Ned didn't need to thank him. He was just glad that his gift was a good one for Ned, patting himself on the back for that success. 

"Who's next?" Jackie pulled out the next gift, noting Caden's name on the tag in her girlfriend's familiar hand writing. She threw the gift at her best friend, the box hitting his chest lightly as he hadn't had time to react and untangle his other hand from Peter's.

Continuing the theme of sweaters, Caden pulled out a pastel pink sweatshirt, grinning down at the article of clothing. Peter's lips tugged into a smile, too, knowing the light color would compliment the older boy's eyes. 

After another hour and a half spent opening gifts and making jokes with each other, the group had their individual presents packed away to carry home. MJ had her books from Peter tucked under her arm. Jackie carried the box of classic 80's movies from Ned in both hands. And, Reese safely placed his box of wireless earbuds from into his pocket, a gift from Jackie - "So you can block the gays out in a more subtle way." 

Meanwhile, the other boys, all receiving clothing, held their gifts gingerly, knowing that the lightweight boxes wouldn't be able to stand the cold, wild wind if they were handled otherwise.

The group of friends bundled up, splitting into individual groups before parting with waves and grins. Reese and Jackie headed to their blocks, MJ and Ned walking in the opposite direction to their own houses.

Leaving the small cafe, Peter and Caden both shut their eyes tightly as a blast of cold, bitter air blew in their faces. Gravitating towards the other, Caden wrapped an arm around the boy, pulling him as close to him as possible. 

Peter flashed him a smile, glancing up at him while tugging his hat down over his red ears. His nose was the same shade of freezing cold red, lips slightly chapped as well. 

Leaning further into Caden as they waited for a walk signal across a busy street, Peter laced their fingers together, Caden's arms essentially around his entire body at that point. The older boy shifting his gift from his hands to wedge it underneath his arm, pressing into his side. 

"That was a really fun time," Peter mused, mumbling softly, a smile growing on his lips as he felt Caden's warm breath on his cheek. The taller boy had leaned his head on top of Peter's, causing his cheeks to turn red and it wasn't from the cold. "I love it when we all hang out together."

Caden attempted a nod, finally settling for a hum in response, letting out a small laugh afterwards. "Yeah, it's always great with them."

The blinding white walk icon shone through the flittering snowflakes that began to fall rapidly. Peter whined softly, reluctantly untangling from Caden's arms. The older boy gave him a wide grin, his eyes crinkling underneath his glasses. They both gripped onto their gifts, starting to walk across the street. 

"You're warm," Peter defended his actions with the whiny statement, reaching out to entwine their fingers once more. "It's from all of those sweatshirts you wear."

Caden sputtered out a doubtful laugh, turning his head to face Peter with raised eyebrows and a smirk. "You mean all the ones you steal from me?"

"I use my resources, and you're too easy." Peter grinned when Caden scoffed loudly. 

Rolling his eyes with the slightest hint of a smile on his lips, he responded, "You're deceivingly strong, you know that?"

"Doesn't matter when you don't fight back."

Caden chuckled, shaking his head with a smile. He hummed a response, glancing at Peter out of the corner of his eye as they walked leisurely through the quiet streets. Wind tousled the locks of their hair that weren't tucked safely into their hats. The two were thankful for their heavy clothing as it protected them greatly from the cold. 

"I won't take the pink one you just got... yet. I want you to wear it at least once. Then, it won't smell like the store, it'll smell like you."

"That's easily one of the cutest things I've ever heard," Caden commented, squeezing Peter's hand lightly. 

The smaller boy groaned out in frustration, yet a small smile and blush showed on his face. "Stop teasing me, you're so mean."

"I'm admiring, not teasing."

"You're a know-it-all."

"And yet, you hold my hand anyway."

"It's cold! I can choose not to listen to you, you know, I'm tired of these teasing games, they're no fun." Peter stuck out his tongue at Caden, stopping abruptly as another group of teenagers passed them, a few of them with confused expressions on their faces. 

"Oh, really?" Caden incredulously questioned once they had passed the group and continued onto another street. A smirk settled on his lips, his eyebrows raised. 

Peter nodded, a smile tugging at his lips as he bit the inside of his cheek to keep it from spreading. 

"Well, can I ask you something kind of important before you stop listening?"

"What? Did you say something?" Peter joked, blinking with his eyebrows drawn together to convey confusion. Then, he grinned up at Caden, letting out a small giggle. "Just kidding. I'm all ears, Argo."

Turning to face Peter as they waited to cross the street to his apartment building, Caden grinned nervously, thankfully for the cars speeding by to drown out the rapid pace of his heartbeat. 

He looked to Peter's eyes, the brown shine acting as the only light he saw as the street lights illuminated them. The mood shifted drastically, Peter's goofy smile fading into a gaze of admiration as he stared up at Caden, a crease in his forehead beginning to show as he grew confused. 

Meanwhile, Caden brought his shaking hand up to the back of Peter's neck, hesitantly placing it there before swallowing his nerves. Snowflakes fell on them at an increasingly rate, catching on their eyelashes and hair, an anxious chuckle coming out in a stream of condensation from his mouth. Finally, after licking his slightly dry lips, he spoke in a gentle and soft tone. 

"Can I kiss you?"

Peter's mouth fell slightly agape, his brown eyes sparkling in the darkness that otherwise surrounded them. Nodding his head slowly, a smile started to grow on his lips. "Yeah," he breathed, unlacing his fingers from Caden's. He hurriedly placed - almost threw - his gift box onto the snowy sidewalk, smiling up at Caden and placing his hands on the boy's cheeks. 

A relieved look in his eye, Caden moved closer to Peter. Placing his box besides Peter's a bit more carefully than the boy in front of him, he closed the space between their cold lips as he cupped Peter's cheek. The bitter air had undoubtedly chilled their skin, their hands instantly feeling each other's freezing temperature as they moved to their cheek, neck, face, trying to bring the other as close as possible. And, their noses, so freezing cold as they bumped the other's with a wide smile. They flitted their eyes to make contact before fluttering them shut to kiss again. 

Snowflakes collected on the wool of their hats and melted on their foreheads that touched, their faces and entire bodies becoming warm from the contact. Once they kissed, Peter couldn't come up with a reason as to why they had waited so long, why they hadn't ended their first date with that moment in his apartment hallway, because it was perfect.

Standing on the sidewalk and slowly moving away from the other's face, identical admiration in their eyes, they shared a smile. Individually reaching down to grab their gifts, they placed them underneath their arms. Peter nestled into the side of Caden, feverishly grabbing onto his hand tightly with a huge grin that could only be matched by the older boy's beside him. 

"Not that she would know, but I think Jackie was right when she told me you were an expert kisser," he commented as they crossed the street. Caden threw his head back with a laugh, shaking his head because why wouldn't have Jackie done something like that? 

"Glad it was good for someone," Caden joked, nudging Peter's head off of his shoulder. The corner of his lips fought back a smile as the smaller boy made a face at him. "It was perfect, Lion," he mumbled, squeezing his hand as he pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. 

Peter nodded in agreement, smiling to himself with closed eyes as the warmth of his apartment building thawed both of them. They eventually did end the night with a kiss, having to make up for a month's worth of not doing it at all. 

Though, before they parted ways, Caden reached into a pocket. He took out an envelope, holding it out to Peter with a smile. "A Christmas card for you," he dropped it into Peter's outstretched hand, "I didn't wanna steal Jackie's moment with her Secret Santa night - she would've murdered me - so I have your gifts at home."

Peter chuckled, eagerly taking the card with a grin. "You didn't have to get me anything-"

"I wanted to, and it's Christmas... so, duh," he cut off Peter, shaking his head, "I mean, it's already addressed to you and everything, you know?"

"That's true." Peter pushed the envelope into the back pocket of his pants, smiling widely up at Caden. "Thanks for the card, Argo, I'm sure it's amazing."

"Yeah, you get gifts for someone you care about... at least, I think so..." Caden trailed off, chuckling as a smile overtook his features. "And, I don't know, I guess because this night has been really great," he paused to entwine his fingers with Peter's, "I got some advice from someone pretty cool, and I guess I figured I'd just say it. Live my best life."

"Yeah?" Peter was watching Caden with a growing smile, having a feeling what was coming but happy nonetheless. 

"Peter... uh..." He swallowed the lump in his throat like he had done back on the frozen sidewalk, letting out a long exhale. His features relaxed upon seeing Peter's soft smile, face still red from the cold outside and the curls over his forehead were wet from snowflakes that had melted. "Would you wanna be my boyfriend?"

Peter's smile widened, his cheeks getting redder as he nodded rapidly. "Of course!" He exclaimed in the quiet hallway of his building. He threw his arms around Caden's body, the gift box smacking his arm and part of Caden's box. "Sorry," he squeaked, his voice muffled as his head was nestled under Caden's chin. 

When they pulled away, Caden pulling on his hat, preparing to venture out into the cold again. "Good night, Lion," he softly bid Peter goodbye, brightly smiling down at his boyfriend. 

Peter pressed a final peck against Caden's lips, laughter bubbling in him and an exhalation from his nose releasing his giggles. "Call me when you're home," he said in a goodbye, squeezing the boy's hand before hurriedly entering his place to hide his blush dusted cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof school has started and I just don’t want to be there at all HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BUTTLOAD OF FLUFF :,)


	15. Decathlon Members Assemble!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> snow days rule

The rest of their break from school passed by in a blur. Caden and his family had headed to their extended family's house upstate. Jackie and MJ hung out with the older girl's 10 year old brother, Jaden, who was very excited to meet Michelle. And, Reese was surrounded by family all break long, so Ned and Peter spent most of the time going to each other's house and just hanging out. 

New Year's passed by just as quickly, the holiday meaning only a day or two left of break which made all of the teens roll their eyes into the backs of their heads. However, the whole friend group did meet up at Ned's house, his parents and May chatting in the living room as they watched the countdown to January. The kids flew past them, slamming the door as they raced into Ned's room to watch the ball drop in Times Square. 

The rest of Manhattan cheered with them as they all wished each other a Happy New Year, blowing their party horns and tapping their hands on every piece of furniture in Ned's room as a drumroll of sorts.

Caden and Peter blushed, watching couples - sometimes, even strangers - make out on the television screen. The two shared a glance, Peter leaning his head on Caden's shoulder, smiling as he felt a quick kiss press onto the top of his head. 

MJ and Jackie shared a peck, smiling at each other widely. Then, they both turned to their friends to hug them, ringing in the New Year. Well, Jackie did most of the hugging. 

Before they knew it, they were all back to the daily routine of Midtown. Their classes separated by loud, ringing bells; their days spread out on a half sheet of paper that was memorized halfway through the first day of school all the way back in September.

With tired faces all around, they joined each other at lunch. Peter curled up underneath Caden's arm, not as much for warmth as it was that he could just do things like that - no reasons needed. Besides, Tabitha had a different lunch period. 

"God, will the snow ever stop?" MJ groaned, watching the snowflakes fall down to the ground rapidly. 

Reese snorted, shaking his head despite her facing the opposite direction. "Doesn't look like it."

He was mostly right. It had been snowing - or, at least, they'd noticed it had been snowing - from fourth period onward, after someone had yelled  "Snow!" and pointed towards the window as if they all didn't live in New York. All they knew was that it wasn't snowing when they all walked into the school, heads hung over their school books from the moment they stepped into a classroom. It didn't matter much to them since it happened too late in the school day, about an hour after they would've been able to get an early release. 

MJ's whipped her head around, turning to face Caden, waving a finger at the boy. "Take good care of my sweater, Giant," she paused, eyes flickering to Jackie to see her pout. She had no difficulty adopting her girlfriend's nickname for Caden, and mentally noting that he was wearing the gift she gave him, she just had to use it. "Don't get subway filth on it after school, and don't let May or Peter near it when they're holding something messy. That entire family is super clumsy. No offense."

"Mhm," Peter hummed a response, shooting MJ a clearly offended look. She shrugged in response, raising her eyebrows as if to say Don't even try to defend yourself. 

"I promise not to," Caden commented with a small laugh. 

Ned glanced over at his best friend who was wrapped completely in Caden's arms, firmly tucked into the older boy's side. "Seems like Peter likes it more than you do."

"It's really soft," Peter defended himself with red cheeks, sinking further into the warm, pink material. 

"Mhm, we all know Caden looks good in pink," Jackie said, shooting a quick wink at the couple with a smirk. 

"Even I can admit that," Reese chimed, everyone's attention turned towards him as he pulled out his other earbud. "Yeah, pink suits you."

Jackie let out an aw, holding a hand to her chest with a bright smile directed at Reese next to her. She pulled him in, their sides smushed together in a tight hug. "Aw, Reese isn't stone cold after all!" she teased, swaying their bodies back and forth. 

Reese groaned, trying desperately to get out of Jackie's grasp. "I mean, it doesn't look horrible. It's okay. Mediocre," the boy quickly spoke, an annoyed look pointed at Jackie.

"Thanks, Reese," Caden accepted the compliments with a smile, the grin widening as his friend rolled his eyes in response. 

-

Although they missed seeing each other everyday, getting used to everything being scheduled for them after only a few days back, the group of six all collectively sighed when they got the alert that there would be a snow day. Peter, being very relieved and tired, smiled into his pillow, thankful that the snow had nearly became a blizzard the night before. 

Squinting at his bright phone screen, he texted Caden, asking for his boyfriend to come over. His thumbs tapped rapidly on the keyboard, letting Caden know that the window was always unlocked and to just climb the fire escape like always, but don't slip please and thank you.

Peter forced himself to stay awake after getting a quick response back, propping himself up in bed as he heard the rusty creak of the fire escape's metal. His window jiggled, Caden's face peering in. His cold red face from the temperatures outside lit up as he saw Peter watching him with amusement. Pulling open the window, he stumbled into Peter's room, his long limbs tripping over the other. 

Peter giggled, covering his laughs with his hand as Caden stood up and closed the window quietly. 

"That was a great entrance," Peter commented with a nod. A smile broke out onto his face as he wasn't able to remain serious. 

"Yeah, for all you know, I could be Spider-Man and have you fooled this entire time," Caden told him with a smile, not noticing Peter's silence as he shrugged off his coat and kicked his shoes off. 

"Mhm, I'll bet," he mumbled in a response, scratching the back of his neck nervously. The irony of Caden's joke stung Peter immediately, guilt taking over him for a few seconds. 

"You do know we don't have to sneak around May, right? I mean, it's not like we're around my parents." Caden brought Peter's desk chair over to the side of the bed as he spoke, spinning around before stopping to plant a kiss on Peter's lips. 

"You're cold," Peter murmured, smiling gently as Caden leaned back in the chair. 

"Because I walked from the subway to your house, climbed up that dangerous fire escape again, and jumped through your window in the freezing cold!" Caden quietly exclaimed, raising his eyebrows at Peter, daring him to come up with a response with a smile and wide eyes. "I'm starting to think that this is only because you never want to get out of bed."

"Ding, ding, ding. You're correct... also, I'm getting a cold." Peter gestured to the empty tissue boxes around his room, his late night winter ventures not being the best for his health. 

Caden's face softened, smiling empathetically at his boyfriend. He reached out to hold his hand, rubbing circles on the back of Peter's hand with his thumb. "I don't understand how you're sick all the time. You never leave your room, like, ever."

"I go out for my Stark internship, for your information." Peter pulled his hand away with a grin, tucking it under his pillow and laying his head down. "You're being very dramatic today. I think the drama club could use some of that."

Caden hummed, nodding his head as he resumed his spinning. What he could only wonder was that if he was into all of the drama club stuff, would anyone in his family be offended in some way that he was gay? He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It would've been a lot easier if I had just gone along with the stereotypes. But, even then, something like this can never be easy.

He heard Peter shuffle in his bed, stopping the chair by placing his foot on the carpet, his eyes flicked towards the sound. He saw Peter watching him with a curious look, offering him a smile as Caden caught his eye. 

"What are you thinking about?"

Caden chuckled, shaking his head quickly. Peter didn't need anything else to top off his stress, so Caden put a smile on his face, brushing it off. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the work that's due in the next week. I brought my bag just in case you wanted-"

"I cant believe you brought your book bag." Peter wrinkled his nose as if he had smelled something rotting. "Snow days are for sleeping. We have a whole day off together, and we should spend it how we spend most of our time together."

With that, Caden dropped his hand in his lap as he started to reach towards his bag. "I figured you'd say that." He climbed over Peter, his back pressing against the wall that Peter's bed was against, situating himself in bed comfortably next to Peter. 

The tight position in Peter's bed wasn't the most roomy place in the world, which even Caden had admit. But, after a month of doing homework, holding hands, and cuddling in Peter's small bed, they had gotten used to it. And, it was much more comfortable than he would've imagined. 

"Ooh, your hands are still cold," Peter whispered, Caden's hand grazing Peter's body as he wrapped himself up in blankets. Even through the somewhat heavy material of Peter's sleepwear, as he slept predominantly in sweatshirts during the winter months, he shivered at Caden's touch. 

"Well, when your needy boyfriend asks you to come over in the freezing cold..." Caden smiled, holding Peter's face in his cold hands. "You kind of have to do it."

Peter grinned, taking Caden's hands in his own. He started to blow warm air onto them, pressing a kiss onto the back of one of his hands. He glanced up, laughing as he saw Caden smile down at him. 

"Hey, you're wearing the sweater I got you." Peter dropped the boy's hands, situating himself to be eye level with Caden again. He gently grabbed at the material, leaning back a few inches before nodding in approval. "I knew it'd look nice on you."

"Well, thanks, Lion. I actually had it set out so I could wear it to school today and, you know, sacrifice my Spidey reputation."

Peter shook his head, rolling his eyes as Caden's bright laugh joined his. He remembered purposefully getting Caden a non-Spider themed sweatshirt for Christmas, making sure to grab the navy colored one. He was the main believer of his boyfriend including more blue into his wardrobe, shamelessly obsessed with Caden's eyes. 

"I love it; it's super comfortable. You're the best gift giver, you know that?" Caden scanned his eyes over Peter's sleep attire, smirking as he noticed the sweatshirt being one of the few he had wrapped up and given to Peter for Christmas. "One of my stolen sweatshirts, I see."

"Gift sweatshirt, first of all." Peter shot him a look, crossing his arms over his chest. His lips quickly upturned, a smile appearing as he jumped to another subject. "And, I hope I'm a good gift giver. I mean, you seemed to like the Grimm's fairytale book I gave you from Germany."

"Oh, I love that!" Caden immediately answered, nodding and smiling widely. "Are you sure that, uh," he paused, lowering his voice to an even quieter whisper, "Mr. Tony Stark won't mind that you gave away a souvenir?"

"Cade, I've told you about a billion times: it's okay."

"Okay, good. Because I really like it."

Peter let out a yawn, covering his mouth with the sweatshirt sleeve that fell over his entire hand. "I'm glad you do, Argo. You're so cute." He shut his eyes, comfortably placing his head on his pillow. "I think I'm going to go back to sleep, there's another pillow right there for you." 

He gestured lazily beside him, towards Caden who had been laying on the pillow the entire time. Caden leaned over Peter, pecking his cheek, smiling as a grin grew on Peter's lips. "Sweet dreams, Lion."

Peter shifted, turning so his back faced Caden. The older boy, after stretching an arm across Peter to throw his glasses onto the chair, rested his arm over Peter's body. Finally, Caden placed his head onto the pillow and drifted into sleep. 

-

Unbeknownst to his boyfriend's long nights spent crime fighting, Caden always wondered how it was possible for someone to sleep as long as Peter did. He had been awake for about a half hour, the world fuzzy from his lack of glasses, but overall, he had a nice view of the sleeping, congested boy next to him. 

After much internal debate, he decided to risk Peter's long sleep to use the bathroom, having to go for a while at that point. Caden slowly climbed - at a centimeter per second - over Peter's sleeping body, wincing silently at any loud creak in the mattress caused by the pressure of his weight shifting. 

Finally, and very successfully, he got off of the bed. He reached for his glasses quickly, blinking to refocus the world around him. He grinned upon seeing his boyfriend still sound asleep and curled up in his blankets. 

Caden then raced over to the bathroom. After exiting he shut the door silently, a relieved smile on his face, stepping into the hallway just as quietly and going back into Peter's room. 

While admiring his sleeping boyfriend was something that he had been doing for the half hour prior to escaping from the bed, Caden turned to his overflowing backpack instead. He let out a long sigh, running his hands through his hair slowly before grabbing his bag and sitting down to finish his AP work. 

"You better be writing me a cute note or something over there because I know you're not doing homework right now," Peter teased, his voice thick with sleep - and probably mucus. He yawned, awake after an hour had passed from Caden using the bathroom.

Caden turned to face the boy, smiling as Peter watched him from the comfort of his bed. "Sorry to disappoint." Caden lifted his notebook for Peter to see, letting out a chuckle in an attempt to lighten up his mood. "I mean, unless you find the events leading up to the Civil War to be attractive. Not judging, by the way."

Peter laughed, smiling as he gestured for Caden to join him on the other side of the room. Easily persuaded - especially by cute boys that wore his sweatshirts religiously - Caden set down his work and scooted over to Peter's bed via the rolling desk chair. 

"Hey," Peter mumbled, his head leaning on Caden's abdomen as he latched his arms around the older boy in a hug. 

"Hi," Caden greeted, chuckling as he loosely returned the hug. He leaned down to press a kiss on the top of Peter's head. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did." He moved his head so his chin was on Caden's chest, his gentle eyes looking up at him and a hint of a smile on his lips. "How about you, Argo?"

"Okay, I guess," Caden shrugged his shoulders, glancing at Peter's offended expression out of the corner of his eye. "You snore, so..." He ended the statement with a laugh, Peter gasping dramatically and pulling away from him.

"I already told you, Caden, I'm sick!" He defended with an annoyed look, groaning as he couldn't maintain the serious expression. He broke, letting out a laugh as he smiled. 

Peter propped himself higher up on his bed, leaning forward to kiss Caden gently. Caden pulled away after a few seconds, prepared to respond to Peter's whining with another fake complaint. Before he could open his mouth, Peter's bedroom door was pushed open. 

A fresh-out-of-bed May Parker stood in Peter's doorway, a smile on her face as she wasn't surprised at all to see her nephew's boyfriend already comfortable in the room. 

"Good morning," she spoke to the blushing couple, the grin growing wider at how easily embarrassed they were. In an instant, her expression changed completely. Her brow furrowed, and a look of confusion overtook her features. "Hey, Caden, you do know we have a front door, right?" She pointed to the older boy, a huff of laughter escaping her when she grinned at him.

"Ye-Yeah... yeah, I know," Caden answered softly, stammering a bit through his words. His face flushed, offering May a weak smile as she let out another laugh. 

"How about you use it next time, alright?" she teased again, ignoring Peter, his eyes wide in embarrassment. "Maybe try something different? Hey, you might even start to prefer it rather than the fire escape." She had an amused grin on her lips when Caden immediately nodded his head in response. 

May left the room, the door left all the way open, and Peter jumped out of bed to follow behind her footsteps. 

"Do you have to be this way?" Peter whined softly, his face flushed - an effect from May's brutal embarrassment. 

May mimicked Peter's pose, leaning against the opposite side of the hallway's wall. A smile appeared as she looked at him, her nephew increasingly more agitated when she lovingly kissed his cheek. "I do," she simply responded, nodding her head once. "Just like I do want Caden to start using the front door, that wasn't just a joke."

"Don't give me that look, May," Peter grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "That was so embarrassing! Can you never do that again... please?"

She pointed at him, arching an eyebrow at his pleading face. "You know the rules: doors open at all times."

Peter threw his hands in the air, having them fall onto his head as he tugged at his curls in frustration. May laughed, continuing her way towards the kitchen. "The door was-"

"Nice try, dude," she cut him off swiftly, leaning against the kitchen counter. A satisfied look took over her face as Peter's arms fell in defeat. "Want me to set up three places for breakfast or should I just pretend that your boyfriend isn't being held hostage in your room?"

Peter turned on his heel, sighing loudly to drown out her chuckles. "It's fun to mess around with you two," he heard her from the kitchen as he walked towards his room. He patted the door, leaving it all the way open as he suspected May would be watching from around the corner. 

"So, breakfast?" Caden asked with a laugh, holding out a hand that Peter took. He pulled Caden upright, a lot more quickly than either of them anticipated, and their bodies almost collided. The two laughed with widened eyes, fingers entwined as they made their way to the kitchen. 

Sitting down as May prepared breakfast behind them, both of the boys' phones vibrated at the same time. A text alert from Mr. Harrington. Their eyes met in slight confusion, Peter watching as Caden opened his phone to read it. 

Decathlon meeting after school today cancelled for obvious reasons... snow! We'll meet on Monday after school next week, see you all then. As Peter and Caden would say: decathlon members assemble! Enjoy your day off and stay warm. -Harrington

Peter hummed after seeing their names mentioned, and Caden looked over at him with a smile. "Harrington approves of our relationship... maybe he'll let us skip?" he asked hopefully, his smile growing as he made eye contact with Caden. 

"I think the complete opposite, actually. We are hormonal teenagers," Caden said with an eye roll, mimicking adults all around the country. "Harrington will have an eye on us for the rest of the year."

"I actually have hormones injected into my body, so I'm extra hormonal," Peter added, Caden nodding his head at the observation. 

"More the reason for him to think we'd skip to go make out in the bathroom." Caden shot him a wink, laughing when Peter rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, totally," Peter agreed, sarcasm evident as he spoke each word with clear emphasis. He knew May was behind them, and he definitely knew she wasn't deaf. "You're such a rebel."

"You know it." Caden leaned on his hand, smiling, gazing at Peter happily. Peter kissed him gently, both of them smiling as Peter leaned back in his seat again. 

"What are you guys talking about over there?" May asked, watching the entire exchange from behind the counter. She had everything prepared for breakfast set out on the counter in front of her, smirking at the boys as they talked to each other. 

"Nothing!" they chorused, bursting into giggles, trying to be as quiet as they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhh happy 2019 lovelies sorry for being on an unannounced hiatus I was just trying to actually complete the fic so I could just dump it all here and complete it on ao3 as well as Wattpad !!! thank you all for the lovely comments I’ve been going through


	16. A Chemical Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit starts to hit the fan

While the group of six friends were holed up in Ned's bedroom on New Year's, Flash Thompson was alone in his room. He laid down on his bed, which sat in the center of his plain room, listening to his family happily cheer in the rooms next to him. 

He rolled his eyes, reaching underneath his bed to grab his textbooks. It was one minute into the New Year, and Flash Thompson had already carefully planned out his resolution: find a way to get to the top spot in the class.

Placing his thick textbooks side by side, Flash opened each one up to five chapters ahead of all of his classes and began reading. He opened up a composition notebook and placed it in his lap, protectively hunching over the book as he scribbled away. 

If any family member happened to walk into his room at that time, they wouldn't have given him a second glance. His cousin, who was home from college, might've noted that he was already doing schoolwork only five minutes into the New Year but would've brushed it off. 

What they wouldn't have seen, though, and what Flash wouldn't let anyone see was his notebook. Besides his actual notes and a simple strategy to make it past Peter Parker in every class, there was a growing set of lists in the back of the book that had been started around mid-October. 

One list went through all of the questions that Flash had missed but Peter had gotten correct. It was beside him that Peter could possibly know everything, every question asked of him, the younger boy answered flawlessly.

The second one was a compilation of events that thoroughly confused Flash. The subject of the list was, once again, Peter. The events ranged from Peter arriving at school late to leaving early to showing up at school with what Flash could only assume was a bruised arm, skillfully hidden underneath his layers; it was all very suspicious to the boy. What could possibly cause all of these incidents? 

Flash had an inkling that Peter Parker wasn't as smart as he led everyone to believe. Would someone with a huge secret really be that careless with their actions? Flash wasn't sure, but he wanted to find out. 

"What's your secret, Parker?" he thought aloud, rapidly tapping his pen on the page where the list was laid out. 

-

Flash Thompson didn't like to be overpowered. Anyone and everyone who went to Midtown was aware of that fact, the students that made up the Academic Decathlon even more so. He didn't like feeling weaker than anyone, and he sure as hell didn't want that person to be Peter Parker, the one who watched Spider-Man videos all through chemistry. 

He worked very hard to maintain his almost perfect 4.0 GPA, and his main competition since middle school didn't seem to care about school in the slightest. That pissed off Flash more than anything. How was it possible that someone who hardly paid attention in any class was able to correctly answer any question that was thrown at him? Meanwhile Flash, who had nearly ditched the homecoming dance to get even further ahead in his classes, could barely get half of the same questions correct. 

His hate towards being felt as inferior coincided with his hate towards Peter Parker, the boy making him feel more inferior than any of his peers. His hatred eventually manifested into his so-called friends. The group of boys were, well, more like a random group of boys than they were Flash's friends. 

The whole situation started out as some kind of a sick experiment. By the end of eighth grade, Flash had successfully joined forces with all of the worst bullies he could find in the middle school. Their only "mission" was really to psych out Peter Parker and eventually put him in his rightful place. Flash had figured that with the boys' nature for being overly rude to everyone crossing their paths, their daily taunts and insults would immediately freak Peter out. Hopefully enough to allow Flash to grab the top spot in the class and remain with that title for the rest of his shared school career with the boy. 

Unfortunately, his plan only got them all stuck with suspension after May and Ben Parker had called in to voice their concerns about Peter. Another unfortunate happening was that the few weeks spent at home while being suspended meant that Flash was stuck with the bullies that ruled his life: his parents. 

Truth be told, Flash Thompson's home life wasn't close to perfection at all. He labeled it as just grazing the edge of the bare minimum. Some would say that he was over exaggerating, despite his reasoning, but he stood by his definition. After all, it was his life. 

There was a reason that Eugene, the name he had reserved for family members and people of authority, stayed in his room most of the time while he was home. He only left the secured area during family dinners, nodding his head automatically when his mother and father started to criticize his most recent test grade, how his GPA had gone down by a fraction of a percent, or when they shoved an ancient report card in his face that had his father's name at the top to show what he should be striving for. Another was placed next to it with his mother's name. Both of them were top of their class, and they not only wanted but expected Flash to uphold that achievement no matter what. 

While many families would have their most memorable moments framed on walls or pasted in scrapbooks that showed babies apple picking or something else cute, Flash had his family's moments engraved in his brain. 

His father yelling that he had to do better. His mother agreeing with a nod of her head, adding that she expected way more of him. The man banging his fist on the table, causing a unfixable mark - much like how the screaming sessions impacted Flash mentally. His dad's usual blurb screamed in Flash's head long before the man could open his mouth: There's no room in this house to be weak. Everyone who is able to overpower you proves how weak you are, Eugene. It not only proves that you're weak, it proves that you're a failure. Whatever you think is good enough, you have to make a thousand times better, to ensure that you're at the top... but, I don't see you getting there anytime soon.

So, the group of boys stuck around Flash well after their suspension. He had to prove that he wasn't a failure, despite never getting close to a failing grade in his life. His parents had certain expectations, and he knew that.

And, Flash Thompson laughed whenever some teacher preached that a number on a page doesn't matter, that class ranks don't mean anything, that a grade doesn't define the kind of person someone is. 

He laughed because that's exactly who Flash was to his parents: a grade.

-

Although Flash usually had well thought out plans, he knew as soon as Michelle and Peter's other friends ganged up on him in October that his group created to antagonize Peter would crash and burn. Hard. He just didn't know when.

He groaned down the hallway, getting called out of his most competitive classes with Peter: chemistry. The principal wanted to have "a word with him" as his teacher phrased it, and he couldn't help but feel his heart sink and all of the blood drain out of his body. 

The principal he could definitely handle, narrowed eyes, leaning forward, furrowed brow, and a steady look; he had developed a strategy. Still, he blanched because he didn't want to imagine what he would have to face when he left school. He couldn't face it, he couldn't go another night that ended with screaming and stray tears running down his face while he laid in bed, a stone cold expression on as he had been, for the most part, desensitized to the violence and the yelling. 

That's why he had to be in chemistry. He had to be there to improve and put Peter in his place like he had been trying. He had to prove that he wasn't a failure. 

"Parker's lucky that she stopped taking the bus, otherwise I would have to be reported for attacking a girl," he spat out quietly, balling his fists and shoving them into his hoodie's pockets. "I think beating someone to the ground could definitely prove that I'm not a failure. Not to mention, it could get me to the highest ranking in the class, with Parker being in the hospital and all."

Rounding the corner to the principal's office, Flash could see his sweater shaking violently from his hands in the pockets. He quickly pulled his hands out, keeping them occupied to avoid shaking, fiddling with his zipper and the strings on his hood. 

"Eugene," the man ushered Flash into his office, gesturing for him to come out of the doorway and sit down in front of his desk. "I bet you know why you're here. At least, I hope you know why you're here."

"Yeah," the boy grumbled in response. He sat back in the rather comfortable seat, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared blankly at the principal.

Admittedly not paying attention at all, he caught a few words: "a source", "insistent harassment", "Peter Parker", "informed your parents". 

"Wait, what did you say?" Flash interrupted, his principal taken aback by the abruptness of his question. 

The man sighed, his little patience for students who didn't pay attention showing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He gestured to the phone to the side of him, returning his gaze to Flash. "I said I've already informed your parents of what's been happening since you were suspended a few years ago, that your continued bullying of Mr. Parker has been increasingly getting worse. At least that's what a source told me."

"Some source," Flash scoffed, causing the man to raise his eyebrows at him. The boy threw his hands up in the air, the anger inside of him reaching its breaking point. "So, you called my parents to tell them about everything without having me here to explain myself?!"

"Mr. Thompson, as the principal of Midtown, I don't need to inform you of my every action, especially when I have to call your parents. This situation has been silenced for years, and it's gone on long enough. Miss Jones brought it to my attention earlier today, claiming that Peter's New Year's resolution was to finally speak up after being scared into silence by you and your group." The man had a bite to his tone, the underlying strictness masked with his calm exterior. 

"And you're just gonna believe Michelle's every word?!" Flash raised his voice, sitting on the edge of his chair, gesturing wildly with his hands. 

The concern wasn't about MJ, it wasn't even about Peter at that point. He just had to get distracted with someone else before he had a mental breakdown in front of his principal, manifesting out of the pure fear of his parents. 

"I believe the bus cameras and student witnesses that have stepped forward and were with Miss Jones today, Mr. Thompson."

The boy sat back in his chair, the conversation dying down. He cleared his throat, biting the inside of his cheek as the man opened his mouth to speak again. 

"Peter will be coming in shortly after you leave. Before I discuss your punishment with you parents - because a week's worth of suspension was clearly too lenient - I'll hear his side of things since he only just stood and nodded in agreement when Michelle came to my office. Once I hear him out, I'll have to make a steady plan to ensure that he's comfortable around the school at all times. This means that if you ever cause him any more trouble, I'll have to have a word with you and your parents in person and expulsion will be considered. Do you understand?"

"Yes," was Flash's quiet response, because what else could he say when his thoughts were full of what his punishment would be when he returned home that afternoon?

-

For the rest of the school day, all anyone could notice was the the fact that it was raining. Hard. Hard enough that it sounded like it could shatter the windows in the school. At first, the harsh snow from early January had melted in steady rain, but by that morning it had gotten increasingly worse.

Most after school activities were cancelled for fear of students not being able to get home safely if the rain continued on the way it had been. Still, that didn't stop Flash from stopping his chemistry teacher in the hallway to ask about what he had missed, knowing that he really didn't want to go home and face whatever screaming that would occur. 

While the boy was busy trying to convince his teacher to let him stay in her classroom to make up the work, Peter and Ned hurriedly snuck their way into the chemistry lab. For once, they were thankful for Flash's annoying tendencies.

Ned scoffed as he watched the door from a lab table, listening to Peter rummage through the chemical cabinet in the front of the classroom. "Who knew the Tony Stark's inventions could bust?"

"Well," Peter shrugged, laughing a bit, "I still have to supply the web fluid, it's my secret formula." 

Quickly changing the subject, Ned swung his legs back and forth underneath his chair, keeping his eyes on the door. "So, are you gonna tell May about what happened today? Like, the principal... and Flash..." he questioned, trailing off as he glanced towards Peter. 

Peter sputtered out a laugh, raising his eyebrows as he looked at the wall of chemicals before him. "Are you kidding? No. There's no way I'm telling her what's been going on. I don't want her to be worrying-"

"But, won't she be alerted that this new keep-Peter-and-Flash-away-from-each-other-at-all-times rule is now happening?" 

"Oh, I have a plan," Peter informed him, shooting Ned a smirk when he whipped his head around. "I told the front desk lady to send the email with all of the details to me, saying that May's email hasn't been working properly for a while. Then, I'm just gonna delete it." He shrugged, Ned watching him as he laid out his plan. "Everything's worked out now, May doesn't need to know anything that's been happening."

Ned let out a hum coated in his disapproval of Peter's so-called plan. "Okay..." he mumbled in an unsure voice.

Peter turned back to look at Ned, the boy staring back at him with a half smile. Peter held up the tubes of chemicals in his hands, Ned's face lighting up. "Yes, you can watch. Just close the door."

Ned stood up to do as he was told while Peter gathered up the tubes and placed them on the nearest lab table, pulling on a pair of lab goggles. Before Ned could shut the door, Flash swung the door open to the lab, blinking in surprise as he was face to face with Ned.

"Leeds," Flash acknowledged the boy, having to raise his voice over the pouring rain outside, eyeing Peter who was gathering up lab supplies close to Ned. "Penis Parker."

Peter's eyes widened, keeping his head down as he quickly mixing the chemicals, a sweat breaking out over his body. Thankfully, Ned began a conversation, allowing Peter to finish the web fluid, stashing it into his multiple web shooters he had shoved into his backpack the night before. 

"Uh, you know, the decathlon meeting is cancelled for today, right?" Ned asked, keeping Flash's attention on him instead of on his best friend. "Because of," Ned gestured to the windows, rain pounding on the glass violently. "Doesn't seem like the New Year is in favor of genius kids, am I right?"

Flash rolled his eyes, ignoring Ned's comment. He glanced towards Peter once again. Flash juggled his phone in his hands, opening the camera on his phone as he passed by Ned to the back of the classroom towards the textbooks.

Peter hastily cleaned up his mess, unaware of Flash snapping pictures of the lab table he had been working at. Flash eyes were staring straight ahead as he tapped the camera's button multiple times a second. 

The sky darkened around them, Ned walking over to the window to see dark stormy clouds hover around the building, the rain becoming even heavier.

Flash threw his bag down on the last lab table in the corner of the classroom, a clap of thunder happening right afterwards. Peter and Ned gathered up their things, scurrying out of the classroom with the slam of door behind them. 

Opening his notebook with a detailed list of what he had to catch up on for chemistry, he flipped to the back of the book to his lists about Peter. He jotted down what his interaction with Peter was, followed by Ned's attempts to keep Flash away from Peter - Crazily suspicious, he thought. He shook his head at what had just happened, viewing the photos he had just taken on his phone. 

Many of the photos were very blurry, the test tube glass shining in streaks to show Flash's movements away from the two boys. However, he inspected all of the photos he had snapped, noticing in a few clear ones that he could just make out the chemical names that labeled the test tubes. 

He squinted, writing down the chemical names on a strip of paper he had torn out of the notebook. "What the hell was Parker making?" he muttered to himself, heading over to the cabinet where Peter had been only a few minutes before. 

Flash figured that even if he wasn't able to replicate Peter's chemical reaction, he could make something easily as good with the chemicals he had on the scrap of paper. He could beat Peter at his own game, possibly earning a nice bit of extra credit in the future. 

Looking through the chemicals, the only noise he could hear was the pounding rain, lightning bolts striking against the ground below, and thundering booms that made Flash jump at one point. 

A sudden rumble of the ground caused him to lose sight of one of the test tubes he needed, holding his arms out to stay balanced as the shaking ground became more violent. The cabinet and other loose furniture swayed from the intense shaking. And, before he knew it, the entire cabinet toppled over with a loud crash.

Glass shattered and minuscule pieces scattered everywhere, pricks of deep red blood on some shards. Flash was dosed in chemicals of all kinds, groaning at the immediate pain his body felt from the tiled floor's violent impact, not to mention the wooden cabinet crushing him. The sturdy wood trapped him underneath the, the boy finally losing consciousness from his head smacking against the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IN NO WAY AM I TRYING TO EXCUSE ANY OF FLASH’S PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE ACTIONS !!!!


	17. Runaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> skipping school, a trip on the train, a huge discovery

When Flash awoke, he wasn't sure how long he had been laying there. The room was much darker than it seemed earlier, but he figured that could've been from the shadows that the cabinet casted across his peripheral vision. 

Struggling for a few moments to lift up the cabinet and simultaneously wiggle out from underneath it, he sighed. His arms dropped back down on the floor, glass shards hitting together, sounding like an eerily mocking lullaby of sorts. 

He groaned, trying to lift the cabinet off of him. He had finally gotten his upper body out from underneath, the pain coursing through his body intensifying. His arms were weak, and with every muscle moved he felt the sharp aches of the minuscule cuts all over. 

Finally, stumbling away from the wooden trap once he was freed, Flash noticed how stiff his clothing was. Some areas on his hoodie and pants were still damp from a few stronger chemicals, a sign that maybe he hadn't been unconscious for so long after all. 

Still, the gash on his head ached, and dried blood matted down his hair, making chunks of it stick out at weird angles. He had to regain his balance after walking only a few feet towards the door. It was then that he noticed the lights had gone out, the glass from the ceiling lights partnering with the test tube glass on the floor. The lights had been switched on before but were clearly unable to work, Flash moving to flick down the light switch.

He was shocked almost immediately when his fingertips grazed the switch, pulling his hand back with a mumbled curse. It was almost like he had stuck his finger into a detached wall outlet, brushing the exposed wires carelessly. His body shivered with a powerful shock. A burning sensation followed shortly after, pinpointing all of the cuts over his body. 

He gasped, holding onto the wall to ground himself as the whole experience was getting to be a little much. Especially with a cracked open head. 

"Maybe soaking up a lab full of chemicals for..." he trailed off, glancing towards the windows to have an indication of the time. That required too much thought as he held his head with a groan, making too quick of a movement which caused his head to spin. "Like," he said through gritted teeth, shutting his eyes to stop the world from spinning, "at least a few minutes will cause your body to react to things a little differently. I think."

Finally, Flash reached the door, pulling it open with such force that he practically flung himself into the hallway. He collided into a body during his stumble, hearing the crash of multiple things fall onto the hard ground. 

"Hey, what-" the familiar voice paused before speaking in a much more confused tone rather than generally pissed off. "Flash? The buses left like hours ago, you're not supposed to be here. What the hell happened to you?"

Flash blinked out of his daze, pressing his fingertips to his head to make sure his injury hadn't opened from the impact. He raised his eyes slowly to see Reese Ha throwing the books that had fallen from his hands into a backpack. 

"Oh, you know, the usual. A cabinet full of glass test tubes fell onto me while I was in the chem lab," Flash spat out, gesturing to his entire body with a downwards motion. "Clearly, I'm fine."

"Jesus, so that was the crash. I was at my locker when that earthquake happened. So weird." Reese shook his head, standing up and hiking up his bag higher on his back. "It's almost like something that happens in a book or a movie before something crazy happens-"

"Yeah. Whatever," Flash snapped, crossing his arms over his chest, resisting the urge to wince. "Why are you still at the school? I was trapped underneath the cabinet in the lab and passed out, so I had an excuse," he interrogated, narrowing his eyes at the boy who had started to shift awkwardly on his feet. "So, after a surprise earthquake you decide to roam the halls of the empty school?"

"It's no different than what I try to do most afternoons," Reese mumbled, raising a hand to the back of his neck to rub it nervously, his eyes cast downwards. 

"What?" Flash was getting increasingly impatient, his raised voice echoing through the hallway and making the taller boy jump a little. Flash's lips curled into a small, satisfied grin, quickly fading when Reese finally raised his gaze. "Well? I'm listening."

"Walking around the school for a few hours is better than going straight home for me, I guess you could say," he quietly admitted, clearing his throat quickly before continuing. "It's just... my parents," he let out a sour quick chuckle that conveyed anything but humor, "They'd just start talking about my older sister in college or my brother who just graduated. I just try to keep busy with decathlon things as the new captain instead of going home to hear them talk about my genius siblings, I can't listen to it after a while."

Flash felt a pang of empathy, glancing at Reese out of the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth to offer some sort of comfort, claiming that things would get better, but he knew Reese's siblings. Everyone knew them. The boy's brother being most notable for his various achievements. 

Nate Ha was basically a household name in the area surrounding Midtown. He wasn't just Valedictorian of his class, he was also president of his class, giving a speech that apparently made even the most strict teachers dab at the tears flowing down their cheeks. He raised money for numerous local organizations, helping them start real businesses with the help of the school's money. Right after graduation, he had flown across the country to attend Stanford's prestigious summer program. Who could live up to that?

Reese cut off Flash's forming sentence of promise that everything would work out even though no one could say that for sure. He gave Flash a bright smile to mask his underlying sadness, shrugging. "You're lucky you're an only child."

Flash's mouth went dry, silently nodding his head in response. He assumed Reese said goodbye, but he couldn't remember. When he turned his head, he saw Reese halfway down the hallway, walking away from him. The conversation had ended. And Flash was deemed lucky, adding to the number of countless times that he had been told this before in his life. That he was lucky to be an only child. 

If only they knew how lucky Flash really was.

-

Arriving in front of his apartment door, Flash had to brace himself for what was about to come. He checked his phone for the time, noticing that it was around the time they would all sit to have dinner. Well, Flash would be forced to sit there as dinner was basically an hour of his parents criticizing him. 

He listened with his ear close to the door, hearing his mother's shoes stomp around the kitchen. His father opted to mutter under his breath and, at some points, yell angrily at nobody, most likely pretending that the air in front of him was his son. 

Flash leaned against the wall next to the door, sinking slowly to the floor. He sat there with his knees underneath his chin while his parents ate dinner, the only sound he could hear was the clattering of silverware against the plates. 

He waited until he heard the whirring of their dishwasher, standing up slowly. He had never been hit by either of his parents, but he didn't want to risk walking in on them with glass plates that they could use as weapons.

Unlocking the door and opening it, Flash was met with the surprisingly blank stares of his parents. There were sitting quietly on the couch, the TV's black screen staring back at them. 

Almost immediately their stares turned into ones of ice cold hardness, glaring at the boy in front of them as he closed the door behind him. 

"Nice of you to finally show up," his father stated through gritted teeth, staring the boy down. 

The one statement was enough to start a full blown war, his parents not waiting for the other to finish as they yelled over each other, keeping their glares set on Flash.

"Eugene Thompson-"

"We get a phone call in the middle of the day-"

"Seriously?! Bullying-"

"More like harassing-"

"-that poor boy for years-"

"Years, Eugene, years-"

"-even after that suspension-"

"-you would've thought someone like you-"

"Clearly, nothing is sinking into your brain at this point-"

"This is completely unacceptable-"

"Completely."

Flash stood there, facing all of the screaming with a straight face, taking it all in. Nodding along blindly with his parent's anger, finally closing his eyes as they continued for what seemed like hours.

"I'm seriously fucking embarrassed if this is how we raised you! It's not, is it?" his father roared, standing up from the couch with such forced that Flash stepped back towards the door. Just in case. 

His mother crossed her arms, her glaring look still prominent from when he had first entered the house. "And, now we're going to have to discuss with that boy's parents how to keep you two away from each other. I can't believe you continued this, Eugene, a suspension isn't enough for you?!"

"The aunt, actually," Flash spoke quietly, a sound less than a whisper coming from his mouth. 

"What'd you just say?" The man in front of him turned at the sound of Flash's voice, pointing a finger at the boy. 

Flash casted his eyes downward, looking down at his shoes. "The kid's parents are dead. The aunt takes care of... Parker."

"Even worse, you bully an orphaned boy! I don't know what caused this behavior, Eugene, but trust me, it will not go unpunished," the woman on the couch spoke steadily, her wide gestures instilling the same fear in the boy as the man who was right in his face did. 

"And, we have to apologize for your actions," the man scoffed, his body hot with anger, turning to his wife with a roll of his eyes, "Unacceptable."

At that point, Flash turned away from the people who were more like strangers to him than actual parents. He waved his hand dismissively when he got to his bedroom room, hearing their increasingly loud voices. He slammed the door in their faces, locking it behind him, before laying down. After that, he fell into a long, deep sleep. 

-

Rather than waking up covered in scratches with glass around him, Flash woke up to the comfort of his bedroom. He hadn't bothered to change out of his uncomfortably stiff clothes from the day before, too exhausted from the events that had taken place. 

Getting out of bed with a groan, he silently padded over to the bathroom - a skill he had mastered when he had begun schooling - to avoid being heard by his parents. He scanned his upper body in the mirror, taking note of all of the scars that had formed from the tiny cuts he had gotten. He figured that there were even more scars on his backside that he couldn't see, but he could definitely feel them when he quickly jumped into the shower.

The stinging, burning sensation was almost too much to take, Flash having to take the fastest shower of his life. 

Not being a breakfast person to start off with, Flash was almost hoping that he wouldn't have time to eat and that he would have to just go straight to the bus stop. He just wanted to do everything to avoid seeing his parents, knowing they would be completely pissed off.

He moved in slow motion, changing into his clothes and packing his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before bracing himself for the yelling that was going to happen. 

He furrowed his brows, digging his nails into the straps of his bag, as he walked to the kitchen. He was surprised - but confused - that his parents hadn't started their yelling session yet. Flash let out a puff of air when he realized that this was going to be way worse than he thought. 

He peered over the corner, his eyes widening at what he saw. It was just his parents, and they didn't look mad at all. He watched the two sit across from each other and discuss the paper, sipping their coffee silently. 

He watched them look up from their drinks, cautiously taking his seat at the table in between them. He eyed them both, looking back and forth between the two until they put down whatever they were reading to give him an equally confused look.

"Something the matter?" his mother asked with raised eyebrows, taking a longer sip of her coffee. She watched him steadily as his mouth fell open, shocked at the neutral tone she was using instead of her usual snappiness. 

"N-No! Just surprised is all..." he mumbled a response, looking down at his hands.

"We were just surprised of why you weren't home when your mother got home from work yesterday," his father said in a more strict tone, connecting eyes with Flash's mom as if they were communicating through their blinks. "Decathlon still ran when it was pouring like that?" His tone turned into less neutral and more like accusatory and pissed off.

"Well, uh... yeah...?" Flash answered uncertainly. He blinked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't in some kind of alternate reality. He wanted to wake up from his dream already, get yelled at by his parents, and then go to school and be shunned for the rest of the year.

His mother cleared her throat, and he had a feeling what was going to happen afterwards. He involuntarily gripped the straps of his backpack - the section of the bag that was underneath the table, though, so he couldn't be called out on it. 

"Eugene... you know," she paused, tapping her nails on her coffee cup, "I can't seem to remember you coming home yesterday - I don't remember much of yesterday, honestly - but this better not happen again. Grades come before any extracurricular activity, you understand?"

Flash nodded quickly, his eyebrows drawn together as he stared at the wood pattern of the table. How could she not remember anything that happened? If only I couldn't remember, that'd be a miracle.

"I understand."

"Mhm," his father grunted in his own sort of approval. "Unless decathlon is helping you reach the top of the class - which I highly doubt from the looks of your grades - then I suggest you focus your attention on more important things." His voice was stiff - the voice equivalent of Flash's dried clothing after it had been soaked with chemicals - and he crossed his arms over his chest. 

Flash watched his mom raise her thin, arched brows at his father, the man nodded before speaking again. "We're going to meet with your principal and talk about this situation with you and this boy. Then, we'll come from to talk with you-"

Flash knew better than to interrupt, but he couldn't stand being yelled at for another time over. "You already did. Yesterday, remember?"

"We did?" The man looked up, tongue in cheek, as he racked his brain for the memory. "Well, I guess you'll have to accept whatever punishment you're presented with, then. I'm sure we told you already, but this was completely unacceptable. I'm even embarrassed of you, to say the least. You'll never reach the top of the class at this rate."

He spat out the word "embarrassed" as if was a curse, and in some ways it was.  Not like a swear, no, it was a curse on Flash's existence in his house. What he would always be labeled as. 

At least, that's how he thought of it. 

-

When Flash was seven years old he ran away from home. 

And, he wasn't one of those ran-away-from-home-to-the-street-corner stories either. No, he actually did it. 

Being a city kid since birth, he somewhat knew how to navigate the subway system. The neighborhood kids that tolerated Flash, making sure he didn't have any homework in their mocking tones before playing, introduced him to the ways of the subway. They would travel to parks not that far away before heading home everyday around mid-afternoon for Flash's sake. Unfortunately, Flash's parents treated their elementary schooler the same way they treated Flash when he was a teenager: all work and no play. 

After being told - more like yelled at - for the millionth time one spring afternoon to check yet again for assignments to do, the young boy just walked out of the front door while his parents were too distracted with work of their own. He had a plan to go to a park but ended up staying on the train for too long. Eventually, he found a secluded alleyway, taking a seat against a brick building. 

He sat there for a while, bringing coloring supplies with him and doodling the entire time. He created stories of his imaginary friends, backstories and then how they would be in the future. His mind ran wild with creativity while at the same time, a city wide search for the boy had been started by his parents.

The police found him tucked away with his drawings, returning him to his parents with a smile. The story of Flash's few hour long disappearance turned up on the local paper, but instead of his fifteen minutes of fame, it was really his well deserved fifteen minutes to be a child. 

Flash returned to that same spot that morning, it being even more cut off from society than he could remember with its faded posters covering the brick. Instead of being in a first period English class, he had left school right after attendance was taken, making a beeline for the subway. 

The train ride there was difficult for multiple reasons. For one, his head was still pounding from yesterday, even causing him to have what he could only describe as vivid memories or visions of some sort. He saw himself from the previous night waving his hand over and over at his parents before slamming his door shut. He then saw flashes of himself talking with an old woman, smiling as she looked at him with a confused expression, scrunched up nose and narrowed eyes. 

"What the hell is happening to me?" he asked himself for the first time that day, multiple other times soon to come. He stared intently at the palms of his hands until his eyes dried out, squeezing them shut to make his eyes water.

At that same time, he saw himself talking to the woman again, but this time he was able to hear some muffled voices, the vision playing out as a scene of sorts. 

"I'm sorry, who are you?" the woman asked, her nose scrunched and her huge glasses magnifying her brown eyes that were searching for some type of recognition. 

"I'm Flash, don't you remember? I just told you a second ago," he told her with a growing smile on his face. Walking away, he pumped his fist in a sort of victory. 

Flash opened his eyes, his body jolting as the scene faded away. His head hit against the brick wall, cursing under his breath as he nursed yet another head injury the happened within a day. 

Shaking the focus back into his body, Flash ran down the alleyway, skidding as he almost knocked into the same old woman that he saw in his vision. 

He cleared his throat before speaking, the whole situation risky but he had to see what would happen. He had to know what was happening to him before he lost his mind. 

"Excuse me ma'am, I'm sorry," he started, apologizing with a small smile on his face, shaking his head in embarrassment. "Uh," he held out his hand, letting out a relieved sigh when she shook his hand firmly in return, "I'm Flash Thompson."

The woman gave him a wide, toothy grin. "I'm Ruth, I actually live in his building right here." She point to the brick building that created half of the alleyway, opening her mouth to speak again. "Well, it's nice to meet you Flash, but-"

"Wait a second!" he abruptly exclaimed. These powers he had assumed he'd gotten - or maybe he was just going a bit insane from being forced to inhale air full of different sorts of chemicals - put him on edge. 

He tried again, smiling gently at the woman who was shocked by his outburst. She looked freaked out, even more so when he brought up his hand as if he was answering a question at school. 

He wasn't exactly sure how it would work, but he had to try, despite making himself look clearly insane. But, there wasn't anyone around, looking up to plead to the heavens that some miracle would happen. Otherwise, why would he get such a strange vision?

Flash took a few steps back, taking in a deep breath of air before waving his hand side to side in front of her face. Quickly putting his hand down, his eyes lit up as the woman scratched her head, blinking slowly at him with her brows furrowed.

"Hi," Flash greeted her again, the smile on his face not fading at in. If anything it was growing, hurting his cheeks as he couldn't contain his excitement.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" the woman - Ruth- asked, with made Flash shiver with excitement. His vision was playing out exactly as he had seen it. 

"I'm Flash, don't you remember?" he asked with a concerned expression, his brows furrowed but then a wide smile returned to his face. He couldn't keep up some act in such a surreal moment. "I just told you a second ago."

Something that didn't happen in his vision surprised him, almost made him jump back. It was an old woman - Ruth, to be exact - speaking in his head. As if he could hear what she was thinking in that brief moment. Poor boy, he just told me his name. How could I forget that so soon? At least I remember to take my meds, her voice echoed in his mind. He was taken out of his thoughts - or, well, Ruth's thoughts - by the woman's laugh ringing in his ear. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized with a chuckle, shaking her head at herself. She clasped his arm with a warm smile. "Horrible memory, you know?" she pointed to her head before turning to walk into her apartment building with a wave. 

Flash ran to the subway, high on the events of the morning so far. "What the hell is happening to me?!" he asked, his voice overjoyed in excitement. Once inside the the subway car, he looked at his hands with a newfound wonder, shaking his head in amazement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woahhhhhh hehehe


	18. Not the Time for Memes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> valentine’s day gets ~spicy~

"Valentine's Day sucks!" Reese groaned, throwing his head down on the cafeteria table with a slam. 

Couples turned their heads to look at him, teenagers placing hands over their hearts as they watched Reese with sympathetic glances. Meanwhile, the two couples at the table rolled their eyes at the boy, his usual pessimism not fazing them. 

January had flashed by. Surprisingly, with little Flash seen around the school. Peter and his friends were all relieved that it seemed as though the plan to keep the two boys separate made a deep impression on Flash. Peter never had to go out of his way to avoid him or the boys that ganged up around Flash. 

The cold hadn't gone away with January, though, the next month becoming even colder if it was possible. Peter figured that at least their Valentine's Day chocolate wouldn't melt. 

Peter and Caden presented Ned with a box of Star Wars themed assorted chocolates. MJ and Jackie did their part, MJ tossing Reese a box of Avenger themed chocolates.

"I know you like them," Jackie teased, grinning widely when Reese picked up the box between his thumb and pointer finger like it was a dirty napkin. She rolled her eyes, nodding in satisfaction when he delicately opened the package and ate a chocolate, giving the girls a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Ned smiled and marveled at the box of chocolates. Peter and Caden shared a look where they were basically both wondering whether the boy would actually eat the chocolates or if he'd save them like a piece of merchandise on a shelf in his room. 

Peter shook his head, glancing at Ned with a smile. "So, you like them?" he asked, a teasing tone coating his voice. 

"More like love them!" 

"Well after you put them in a safe spot at home I better see you before May leaves for her date. It's Valentine's Day after all, I don't want to be alone in the morning thinking about how my aunt spent her evening"

Ned's eyes trailed to Caden who had his arm draped over Peter's shoulder. The smaller boy leaned against his boyfriend, watching Ned with expectant eyes. 

Ned had just naturally assumed that since it was Valentine's Day maybe the two would be going on a date or something, but apparently they weren't. And, Ned honestly felt touched, thinking of all of the past Thursdays him and Peter had spent together. It would be a lie if he said that things hadn't changed when Peter and Caden started dating, but he was overjoyed that it seemed like Thursdays were still reserved for the two best friends. 

"Yeah, of course I'll be there!" Ned exclaimed, trying his best to act calmly, his excitement bursting through as a wide grin never faded on his face. "Still at eight?"

"It's Valentine's Day, so... most likely six," Peter said after a long pause to think. "She'd have to change her outfit a couple million times. She doesn't trust my opinion."

"I think she'd rather want Nessa to help her. She definitely knows more about fashion than I do," Ned scoffed, bugging his eyes a bit at Peter to convey his cluelessness about the whole scenario. 

"Wait, Nessa?" MJ interrupted Ned's humorous moment, the two boys turning to face her while Caden's group of three were thoroughly confused. 

Ned waved his hand in the air, making an annoyed look at her. "Yeah, turns out when you get your law school boyfriend cheating you have to move back into your parent's house again. Nessa - Vanessa - is my deadbeat older sister, by the way."

"I never liked Micah anyways. He looked like Homer Simpson." MJ nodded sympathetically, offering her friend a smile. Ned almost choked on his drink, sputtering out a mix between chokes and laughs.

Peter agreed, nodding with a quiet hum. "Yeah, he wasn't cute. Like, at all. I wouldn't want him as my lawyer, that's all I'm saying."

"He totally does look like Homer!" Ned finally said after regaining his ability to speak. His red face from loss of breath brightened with a smile as he shook his head at MJ. The girl flashed him a satisfied grin, Jackie rolling her eyes with a small smile of her own. 

"Well, I'm glad I don't have any threats to deal with," Caden joked, snickering as he pulled Peter closer to him with a loose arm around his shoulders.

"Oh, definitely not," Peter laughed out, a smile growing on his face when Caden pressed a kiss to the back of his head. 

"Ned," Reese started, popping a purple grape into his mouth, "why didn't you tell me you had a desperate older sister in need of someone to boy her chocolates on Valentine's Day?"

"Because you're you," Jackie snapped, her eyebrows furrowed and a look of faux disgust on her face. "Caden and I are the chocolate experts, anyways. I can't tell you how many February fourteenths we've spent in my room just eating all different kinds of candy." 

"Tell me your favorites tomorrow," Peter told Caden, craning his neck to look at his face. "It's Harper and May's first Valentine's Day, too-"

"I've already told you it's no problem. I see you everyday, you know. I have to hang out on my own block at some point." Caden have Peter a bright smile, shaking his head at his boyfriend's worries. "We'll just have a February fifteenth dinner. I'm spontaneous like that."

"As if, Mr. I-have-to-drag-on-this-mysterious-plan-for-a-month," Jackie scoffed, flashing her best friend a smile once a grown settled on his face. 

"That's a very long last name," Peter commented, earning giggles from Jackie and Caden. 

Reese tapped his finger on the lunch table, a confused expression on his face after Jackie had told him off. His eyebrows were still furrowed when he looked up, pointing to Ned with a steady look. 

"Expect me at your house this afternoon," he told Ned who rolled his eyes for a long few seconds. "I'm serious! What kind of chocolate does Nessa like most?" He paused then, after a second, said, "Can I call her Nessa?"

"Nope."

-

After halfway attempting to do their homework, Peter and Caden resided to Peter's bed, laying on their backs comfortably next to each other. They were a hundred percent convinced by the welcoming warmth of the blankets and of each other.

Peter laid his head an Caden's chest, the older boy running a light hand through his curls which could lead him into a deep sleep if given enough time. Peter yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, lowering it to rest it aimlessly on Caden. 

"Hey, don't fall asleep now," Caden groaned, tapping Peter's head insistently with his fingers instead of his usual soothing strokes. "Ned's gonna be here in a while, and I have to be home for dinner."

"Can't you just wake me up?" Peter mumbled, trying to grab at Caden's hand with a defeated laugh.

"You're always annoyed when I do that, though." Caden entwined both of their hands, waving his arms slowly in the air, Peter's hands following along. 

"Mhm." Peter opened his eyes, peering upwards. From that position he could only see Caden's neck and chin, a hint of a smile in his peripheral vision. "Maybe it's because I actually enjoy spending time with you? What a concept."

"No, it's because you're always sleep deprived," he answered matter-of-factly, letting go of one of Peter's hands to continue running his fingers through the spiraling curls. 

"Am not."

"You send me texts at, like, three am every night, Lion. You sound like you're drunk." Caden laughed, shaking his head. 

"My texts aren't that bad," Peter defended, turning onto his stomach, his chin leaning on Caden's chest instead. 

"Well, how about we just...?" Caden went to reach into his front pocket, his phone sticking out of it. Not putting up much of a fight, Peter swatted his hands away, laughing, taking Caden's phone and shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Nope! Not happening." Peter shook his head, matching Caden's amused smile perfectly. "I refuse to listen to a dramatic reading of my texts. They're stupid."

"No, they aren't," Caden shifted from his position, leaning forward to press a quick kiss onto his lips. 

Peter grabbed onto the sides of Caden's face, cupping his cheeks with a smile. Their noses bumped, Peter leaning their foreheads together. "Was that my Valentine's Day gift?" He let out a small laugh, when Caden smiled. "It was kind of lame."

"Oh, you're so sure you're getting a gift, hm?" Caden leaned back onto Peter's pillows with a smirk, the boy sitting criss-cross in front of him.

"I just assumed." Peter shrugged, his cheeks turning red as he met Caden's eyes. "Besides, your bulky back pocket isn't exactly subtle; You don't have a butt."

"Hey!" Caden whacked Peter lightly with a pillow, both of them filling his room with laughter. Finally, once they were out of breath and smiling at each other again with faces that just looked like they had a laughing fit, Caden shrugged. He reached into his back pocket, placing a small box into Peter's outstretched palm. "For you. Happy Valentine's Day."

"You don't even try anymore," Peter mumbled, a close lipped smile with blush dusted cheeks practically screaming out his deep affection for the boy. 

"Eh, who can blame me?"

"Uh, I got you something, too." Peter reached into his hoodie pocket, giving Caden a box similar to his own. "Open yours first? Just do me a favor and lie if you, like, really hate it."

He scoffed, flashing Peter a huge grin before looking into the box. "Wow," he breathed out, a faint smile gracing his lips as he looked up to Peter. "I don't even have to lie, it's amazing."

"I just... yeah," Peter trailed off, a smile growing on his lips as Caden's gaze remained fixed on the box.

"I love it, Lion," he gushed, holding out the silver necklace to Peter with a smile. "Put it on me?" 

Peter nodded, making a circle gesture with his finger, and Caden turned around after pushing the necklace into Peter's hands. Once he felt that the silver clasp had been shut, Caden grabbed his phone out of Peter's back pocket, eager to see how it looked. 

Peter looked down at his hands. "It's actually a pretty crazy thing," he started, watching Caden stare at the necklace in his phone's camera, "The Aries zodiac sign actually represents the ram in the Golden Fleece story. I thought that was super interesting because of your mom and the whole Jason story. And, you know, because of Argo."

"Thank you, Peter. That's pretty amazing," Caden commented, smiling towards Peter, tossing his phone aside. "Have I told you how much I like you?" 

"Well, you haven't told me yet today," Peter joked, falling into Caden's outstretched arms with a hug. 

Caden smiled, letting out a laugh as he nodded. "Yeah, well..." he said, and he left it at that. An unspoken truth that they both knew settled onto them. Peter understood what he meant, and he could confidently say that he felt the same exact way. 

Sometimes, he noted, there aren't enough words to express how you really feel. 

"Your turn," Caden told him, pushing the box back into his hands, draping an arm around his shoulders. "I'm pretty confident in my gift giving skills. I know you'll like it."

"We'll see about that," Peter muttered, making quick eye contact with him before looking down to open the box. "Oh," he commented, a surprised raise to his eyebrows as he looked in the box. 

He pulled out a chunky silvery bracelet, lion heads meeting, biting a clasp in the middle. "This is so nice," Peter complimented, attempting to clip it onto himself, failing as he tried to use his dominant hand to throw it onto his other wrist.

"Hey, I've got it." With a gentle nudge, Caden pushed Peter's hands away, clasping the bracelet tightly onto Peter's wrist. He smiled down at the gift before dragging his eyes towards Peter's. "I had a feeling you'd like it."

"Lions. Wow, I love that," Peter mused at the bracelet, only nodding his head so Caden was aware he was actually listening to him. "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem," Caden murmured, smiling when Peter pressed a kiss against his cheek. "So, what are we doing until May gets here?"

"Do homework? Nap? Make out?" Peter grinned, shrugging. His smile grew wider when Caden waggled his eyebrows, a smirk playing on his lips. 

"Wow," Caden let out a breath of air, smiling cheekily to himself, "those options get better as you go down the list." He glanced over his shoulder then back to Peter with a full-on, Jackie-like smirk. "Good thing the door's already closed."

"You're such a dork," Peter mumbled, rolling his eyes. He threw himself back onto his pillows, staring up at Caden who was giggling quietly.

"I take that as a form of endearment, actually," Caden informed him with a smile, resting on his elbows, leaning over Peter. "Especially on Valentine's Day." 

He winked, smiling as he leaned down to kiss Peter gently. Peter brought his hand up to the nape of Caden's neck, the metal of his bracelet pressing against Caden's warm skin. 

-

After Caden had left and May and Ned had arrived to the Parker household, the house seemed to be thrown into chaos. 

"Peter! Ned!" May yelled from her room to the boys, fanning herself with a hand as she was sweating from stress. 

The pair hurried into her room, sitting on the edge of her bed as they knew better than to keep the woman waiting. She gave a halfhearted twirl, the black fabric around her lower legs fanning out elegantly. "Option three, what do you think?"

"I-" Ned started, ready to give a well formulated opinion, having gone through this situation a few times with Peter over the past year.

"Peter first." May shook her hand at her nephew, glancing at him through her full length mirror. She frowned at herself, turning to look at the dress from all angles. 

"What she means is, 'Let the bad one go first,'" Peter corrected, arms crossed when May turned to face him. 

"I do not," she quickly said, waving her hand dismissively before gesturing back to the dress. "The dress, please?"

"I like it," he gave his aunt a thumbs up with a grin, "It's really sophisticated. Black is a classic winner."

"Ned?" She turned to the other boy who was biting his lip thoughtfully. "How about you?"

Ned pondered this for a second, tapping his chin with furrowed eyebrows. Finally, he answered, but with a question, making May want to pull out her hair. "All I have to say is... are you planning on coming home tonight?"

Both May and Peter turned a shade a red, quickly focusing their gaze towards Ned. "What?" he asked innocently. "It is a significant factor. If you plan on a 'yes' then I'd go with the violet one with the slit. You have to risk the cold for things like this, May."

Once May regained her ability to speak, she cleared her throat, pointing at Ned before beginning. "I don't think you want to be discussing my sex life - especially not with my teenager around - more than I want to, Ned."

Ned chuckled, slyly winking at May whose gaze had fallen onto her first option dress: the aforementioned violet one. "But, you do have to admit that it's a valid question-"

Peter covered Ned's mouth, his red face like a stop sign begging him not to move forward with the conversation at hand.

"Thank you for your help, boys, but I don't think I'd leave Peter alone anyways," May told them, applying what seemed like her hundredth coat of lipstick.

"Please," Ned scoffed, ignoring Peter's confused furrowed brows. "We'll be 16 soon, May... and our little Peter has a boyfriend now. Those kids are always here alone. Just saying."

"I'm going to kill you," Peter muttered under his breath, his face returning to its former shade of red, even brighter than it had been. 

May's eyes widened, her gaze wandering over to a bruise-like mark off to the side and just underneath Peter's collarbone. His binder covered part of it, and she narrowed her eyes at the mark before opening her mouth to speak. 

"That's enough for one day, yeah?" Peter abruptly yelled, rushing out of May's bedroom to his own. 

Ned followed him shortly after, walking into Peter's room with a smirk. Peter threw himself face down on his bed, groaning into his pillow. Then, he moved quickly and threw a pillow at Ned, the cushion hitting him in the stomach. 

"Hope you said goodbye to Caden today." Peter sighed dramatically, laying on his back, looking up at wooden planks holding up the top bed. "May's gonna kill him. He's a goner."

"Not my fault that your shirt moved and your not-so-sneakily placed hickey was on display." Ned shrugged, actually laughing a bit. Peter narrowed his eyes, sending a glance Ned's way. The boy stopped with a muffled laugh, "I had to do it to 'em."

"Not the time for memes, Ned." Peter pulled his phone out of his pocket, risking dropping it on his face as he held it above him. 

"If you're texting Caden tell him he should've done a better job." Ned snorted, taking a seat in Peter's desk chair. 

Peter held up his phone screen, dozens of maps popping up by the second. "I'm actually checking the police radios and crime locations," he said, returning his gaze to the screen, "you never know what kind of stuff is happening on Valentine's Day."

"Broken hearts and stolen purses?" Ned suggested, chuckling as he spun around in the chair.

"Exactly." 

They listened as May's key jingled, probably being shoved into her purse. When the key sound faded, her voice called out. "I'm leaving, guys!"

"Have a nice night!" Ned yelled down the hall. He noted with a smile that she had changed into the violet dress, winking when she caught his eye. "A really nice night."

"Say hi to Harper for me!" Peter cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting from his room towards May. 

"I will! Bye, love you both!" May called back, shooting Ned a warning glance. She gathered up her things, opening the door to head out. 

"Oh wait!" Peter raced into the kitchen area, clutching a blue envelope in this hand. "For you." He held it out to May, excitedly rocking on the heels of his feet. 

May opened the envelope, pulling out a cute animal themed Valentine's Day card. She read the message instead, smiling the entire time. "Peter, this is too sweet. I love you. Thank you." She pulled him into a hug, pressing a kiss onto his forehead before wiping off her lipstick stain. 

"No problem, May," he mumbled into her shoulder, "I love you, too." 

May pulled back, holding him in front of her at arms length. She glanced down at the silver band on his wrist, smirking up at him. "I like your bracelet, by the way."

Peter only nodded, a hint of a smile on his face. A blush dusted his cheek, intensifying as she continued to grin at him. Finally, she pulled her arms away, gathering her purse again and placing Peter's card next to the enveloped card she left by Ben's picture on the counter. 

"We're talking later," her tone changed instantaneously. She raised her eyebrows, pointing at him with a steady look. "No excuses. Seems like you've spent enough time with your boyfriend today," her eyes flashed to his neck before returning to his anxious gaze, "you don't need to be talking on the phone at two in the morning."

Peter could only nod, his head bowed down in embarrassment, his cheeks red for a completely other reason than what they had been moments prior. May cooed, lifting his chin up with her hand and offering him a smile. "Have a nice night, genius. Text me if you guys need anything."

Once May had left, Peter and Ned crouched around Peter's phone in his bedroom. They pointed to various incidents where the police wouldn't necessarily be at the crime scene in time, Peter changing into his suit as Ned kept a careful eye on the ever changing pop ups on the screen. 

"Is the heat working in your suit again or is it still crap?" he asked absentmindedly, scrolling through more recent crimes. 

"It's all good; I fixed it the other day," Peter replied, situating his web shooters and other various technological bits onto his suit. 

"Great." Ned looked up from the phone for a split second, eyes wandering over to his backpack in the corner. "I brought my laptop. You know, just in case you were gonna Spider-Man it up."

"Someone's gotta check up on the neighborhood, right?" With that, Peter pulled his mask on. He gave Ned a thumbs up before swinging out of his bedroom window.

-

"Ah, I love our Valentine's Day tradition," Jackie sighed, placing a hand on her stomach which was full of all different chocolates. She turned to look at Caden who was laying on her bed with a similar happy, content expression. 

"Especially when we're both in relationships, right?" he asked with a snort, playing with his silver chain as his eyes fluttered shut. 

"Exactly!" Jackie sarcastically exclaimed,. Caden opened his eyes to see a wide smile across her face. She cleared her throat, meeting his gaze. "I mean, like, no offense to you, Giant. You know I love you."

Caden nodded in agreement, a small upturn of his lips making a faded, small grin appear on his lips. "I love you, too, Jacklyn."

"So, are we just gonna eat chocolate all night, waiting for my parents to come home or...?" she trailed off, spinning in her desk chair opposite the bed. She met his blue eyes with a questioning look, raising her eyebrows at him. 

"I have to check on Tabitha right now," Caden stood up, talking over his shoulder as he headed to Jackie's window with his phone in hand, "but, yeah, that chocolate plan sounds amazing."

"You're lucky we have amazing metabolism," Jackie drawled sarcastically, her mood instantly changing when her younger brother burst into her room. "What do you want, little man?" 

"Is Caden talking to Tabitha?" Jaden whispered, a deep blush settling onto his caramel skin. 

Caden and Jackie shared a smirk, Caden shaking his head as he pressed Tabitha's contact to call her. "I am now," he told the boy, holding out his phone for Jaden to take. 

Someone would assume the boy was granted as many wishes as he wanted from a genie when Caden handed him the phone; he was so shocked, becoming a beaming, blushing mess. 

"She's too old for you, dude," Jackie told him, pointing a finger at the boy with somewhat of a warning glance. 

Once a disheveled Tabitha walked over to the window opposite Jackie's, Caden gave his sister a thumbs up and walked away. She seemed safe, and Jaden would definitely keep her busy for a while. 

The teens went to attacking Jackie's assortment of chocolates only interrupted by Jaden's insistent questions sent their way via Tabitha. 

"Caden, Tabitha asks if she should invite Peter over for a romantic thingie," Jaden said it with a drag, his face expressionless when he heard of the girl's crush. 

"Tell her Peter's busy," Caden replied, a smile playing on his lips which caused Jackie to nudge his shoulder. With that, Jaden lit up, not being subtle as he basically screamed that Peter couldn't make it to her even if he wanted to.

Soon, the siblings' conversation turned to the teens' Valentine's Day. Jaden asked about Michelle, Tabitha popping in on speaker phone with her fawning over the girl's relationship. 

"What about you Cade? You never talk about your love life," Tabitha questioned. Caden could imagine her lips curled into a Jackie-esque smirk. "Jaden says he hears you, Jackie, and Reese talking about dates, and I know that it's not Reese going out on many dates."

"First of all, you never call me Cade. So... weird," he let out a breathy laugh, rolling his eyes as he took the phone from Jaden, "And, did you forget that Jackie's in a relationship? She goes on plenty of dates with MJ."

Tabitha accepted the answer, and Caden had to steady his breathing to a more normal speed. At the same time, Jackie almost made his heart leap out of chest, scaring him as she jumped on the bed, calling his name over and over. 

"Jackie, what?!" Caden exclaimed, laughing as he hung up the phone call with Tabitha. Jaden had scurried out of the room as soon as the call ended, finding no other reason to be interested in the older kids' lives. 

She smiled wildly, tapping a drumroll of sorts on his arm. "I have a Valentine's Day gift for you," she sang out the words, smiling the whole time. 

"I have a Peter, I'm set," Caden replied shrugging with a small smile. 

Jackie groaned, rolling her eyes. "It's about your Peter, Giant!"

"What about him?" Caden sat up, his full attention given to Jackie at that moment. He was curious. 

"Peter Parker," she emphasized every syllable, letting out a giggle as she couldn't contain it, "has - and I can't believe I'm saying this - abs."

"What?! C'mon..." he trailed off, laughing and shaking his head. He slowly stopped, furrowing his brow as Jackie maintained her wide smiled expression. "No, he doesn't... does he?" 

"He does! I'm not even lying, dude, this is serious!" Jackie screamed, bouncing on her knees in excitement. Meanwhile, Caden stared at her in a concerning way, his mouth slightly agape. 

"So," she cleared her throat, a smile taking over her features as she prepared to tell her story, "I was meeting MJ after her gym class, and I see Peter and Ned share the same gym period as her. They were still in their clothes, though - I think it had something to do with the whole Flash situation - but it was whatever. I yell across the gym to say hi because I'm totally not walking all the way over there just to walk back to the girls' locker room to see MJ. And, you know how the gym shirt is short sleeved?" She waited for Caden to nod before continuing. "Well, Peter's shirt already looked, like- I don't know how to describe it, but he filled it out pretty well." 

Caden's eyebrows raised, his mouth tweaked upwards in an amused smile. Jackie smacked him on the arm, giggling. "Don't look at me like that!"

She sighed, composing herself. "As I was saying," she pointedly raised a brow at Caden, "I've never seen Peter really in a short sleeve shirt before. But, then Peter raises his arm to wave to me, and his shirt - which was already a little crumpled up or whatever before - rides up! He has abs, dude! Like, real muscles! No one could've ever guessed that under all of those sweaters and collared shirts he has those arms and clear-as-day abs!"

"Don't get all hot and bothered for my boyfriend. That's gross." Caden scrunched up his nose in disgust, eyeing the girl in faux suspicion.

"I'm not!" She laughed, making a shaking motion with her hands. "It was just shocking."

"Hm... Peter Parker has abs? Interesting?" Caden tapped his chin thoughtfully. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to think. Yeah, it was a surprise that Caden never would've expected - not to mention that it was hot - but other than that, he didn't react much except his shock.

Jackie nodded, stepping up from her bed. "It was so crazy," she said, gesticulating all over the place with her hands. "But, I'll be right back. I want to check up on Jaden then use the bathroom."

Jackie slipped out of her bedroom door silently, her best friend watching her leave. Caden pulled his phone out of his pocket, his lips twitching into a smile as his thumbs flew across the keyboard, sending Peter a text:

hey do you have abs

It was short and simple - very to the point. Caden's phone vibrated twice while it was still in his hands, and he excitedly glanced at the messages, Happy that Peter responded so quickly.

Caden soon realized that it wasn't what he thought. Instead, Peter had sent him:

fair warning May says she's going out on her date but I fear for your life at this moment, be safe please

And, underneath the previous message a confused:

what

Caden's eyebrows furrowed, a giggle bubbling out of his mouth. He shook his head, a laugh exhaling out of his nose, and sent back an equally confused:

what

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this pure chap after all of the wild Flash ones !


	19. An Actual Double Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a reference to a past chapter ha

Lists were one of Flash's favorite things. The 17th of February could almost top that as his favorite thing in the world. 

The date was the anniversary of his parent's agreeing to take part in something traditionally called marriage, but Flash called it a life sentence. However, the boy had a bit of freedom whenever that date came around. His parents always took a weekend trip to Ithaca where they had met at Cornell University. 

Flash found it ironic that his parents had met at one of the most strenuous colleges in the country. Not to mention, the school was rated as one of the top suicide schools.

The month after he had discovered he had some type of power, Flash always expected to wake up the next morning to find them gone. So, he decided to make the most of what he had day after day. He soon compiled a list of all he believed to be his strange powers, realizing that no other super whatever-he-was had the same specific powers. He took pride in having them unique to himself, smiling wider each day as he focused on perfecting his new skills to eventually use them to his advantage. 

Early on, he used his powers on Peter. Although his technique wasn't as effective as he would've hoped, he smiled when Peter got back a B on his chemistry test instead of the usual A+.

Flash held his own A in a strong grip in his hands, his fists curling into a victory fist pump. He couldn't help but smile to himself when Peter walked out of the classroom, talking to Ned and Caden about how he didn't understand how he could just forget almost everything on the unit test. 

He dreamt about the endless possibilities that he could discover through his powers and how he could manipulate a multitude of things with just enough practice. He would always wake up with a start, red and blue hues blurring his vision in the later parts of his dreams until he would open his eyes. 

It seemed strange that the same event would happen day after day, but he figured the only explanation that could be used was the fact that hundreds of vials of all kinds of chemicals had to leave some kind of mark. Though, he couldn't shake the bursts of red and swipes of blue from the back of his mind. 

It started to bug him, knowing each morning he'd wake up to the same thing. He'd try to set an alarm for hours before so he wouldn't have to endure the annoyance, but nothing worked. It was like an annoying insect that wouldn't stop bothering him, and he had to find a way to stop it. 

-

While Flash was in his usual alleyway, working hard to perfect his skills, Peter was swinging through the air with Ned's voice in his ear. 

Returning to Ned's bedroom window after a long day of patrolling, Peter hurriedly gathered his clothes. He slipped out of his suit, throwing on his heavy clothing to brace the weather. 

Ned strolled in with a chocolate milk in hand, sputtering a laugh as he saw Peter all discombobulated in his winter jacket. 

"I told you to come back earlier and set your time later," he explained quickly, picking up the red and blue suit and placing it in Peter's arms, "otherwise, you'd be late, and May would murder you."

Peter let out a long sigh, running a hand through his slightly sweaty hair. He shook his head, a hint of a smile appearing nonetheless. 

"Since I'm ready, I guess I'd better go now." Peter shrugged, walking out of Ned's room with his backpack hiked high onto his shoulders.

He smiled at Ned and Nessa as the two waved goodbye, and he started to head towards the subway to his own apartment building. 

Although however much he would've rather spent a few extra minutes flying around the city, Peter sent Ned a quick text of thanks after he sat in one of the last available seats. Ned was right, May would've killed him if he was late for their big night out.

It started out as a joke, May and Harper wanting to take Caden and Peter out on a double date, but soon Peter realized it wasn't a joke anymore. And, how could he say no to May?

He had to call Caden - with May eyeing him from the kitchen - and invite him to a double date after Valentine's Day. It was really nice of May and Harper, but as his aunt reminded him of the daily countdown, all he could do was flush red in embarrassment. 

If he was late to his apartment, that meant he'd be late getting ready which meant May would freak about missing their reservation at some fancy steakhouse that was a half hour drive. Peter couldn't afford to mess up any scheduling, so he raced off of the subway and into his apartment, his backpack thumping against his back down the hallway.

"Please don't wear the purple dress," Peter begged May as he saw her getting ready in her room, "we all know what it means now."

May's head snapped around, and Peter could see a faint blush on her cheeks. She let out a breathy laugh, a smile growing on her lips. "I have other things to embarrass you with, don't worry, Peter."

"Oh, believe me," Peter breathed out, a small grin on his lips, "I know."

"Caden and Harper will be here in a few hours, so get everything you need done out of the way... it'll be nice to see you not so uptight." May gave him a smile from her view as she looked in her mirror. "Caden's changed you. Made you looser."

"Oh, don't say that," Peter mumbled, his cheeks burning red. He raced into his room, closing the door with a slam. 

Peter puffed out his cheeks, letting out a long sigh. He shook his head at May's comment, a smile growing on his lips. He took off his backpack, throwing it deep into the back of his closet on top of discarded Lego boxes and childhood projects from school.

Hanging on the top of his closet door was his freshly ironed red dress shirt and a pair of gray pants. He smiled to himself as the memory of getting his first suit came to mind.

-

"Hey, Lion, what about this one?" Ben knocked on the dressing room door, a stupid smile on his face - the one uncles use to laugh to their wives without actually laughing. 

He held a bright red suit, a dark blue shirt underneath the red, and neon blue shoes to match its striking tie. As hoped, Peter opened the door and immediately tried to close it after glancing in the suit's direction with an eye roll. 

"That's so bad," he laughed out, leaning out of the small room to see if May was witnessing the moment. 

She watched with a smile and flipped through suits and mismatched pants and shirts on a rack near the dressing room exit. "Do you know what color scheme MJ is going for, honey?"

Peter gulped, turning to the mirror to self consciously run his hands through his recently cut hair. He turned to see Ben watching him with furrowed brows, his heart beat racing in his chest. 

"Uh, n-no," he finally answered, licking his dry lips. He glanced at May, shaking his head rapidly. "No, I mean... c'mon, May. It's MJ we're talking about, do you really think she's gonna have a color scheme at her bat mitzvah?"

May hummed softly, finally nodding after close consideration of the question. "I guess you're right. I wish she had though... it would be so much easier to pick out a suit for you."

That would've been the part where just a month ago, Ben would suggest to May about looking in the dress aisle, knowing there were way more options. Peter overheard that conversation a month earlier, and he almost came out to them right there. He needed this suit. It was his only hope.

Peter just nodded, holding out his hand for whatever clothing that Ben and May both liked so that he could try on and decide whether he liked it. 

Hours of suit shopping later and Peter finally decided on a lightly patterned gray suit and a dark blue tie. It fit perfectly - except the pants needed some hemming - but more importantly, he left the store with a smile on his face and May and Ben couldn't be happier for him.

-

Harper arrived before Caden which was good and bad for the same reason: she and May would bug Peter about his relationship. It would've been bearable with Caden sharing the embarrassment. At least then, he'd be able to flash his charming grin and change the subject to something about Harper, but Peter was left vulnerable with no one to turn to as he stared down at his school notes. 

"Hey, what's up?" he reluctantly asked, glancing up from his writing towards Harper in his doorway. 

"How was your Valentine's Day?" the woman asked with a growing smirk. Peter quickly darted his eyes away from her, his cheeks heating up. 

"No, no way. We're not going there," he said, waving his hand as he shook his head. "Nope."

She let out a laugh, the reaction quickly turning into a pout. "Why not? I hear it's PG-13."

Peter rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat as he laughed. "I am 15."

"I know," Harper scoffed, leaning a hand on Peter's desk to support her weight as she watched him get all flustered. "Wanna hear about mine and May's night?" 

"Considering she didn't come home... no, thank you." Peter chuckled, scrunching his nose in disgust. 

"Ah, that purple dress. Ned was right."

"I'll let him know," Peter assured her with a tone of disgust. He mimicked vomiting into his garbage can at his feet, starting to giggle when Harper laughed loudly. 

"Must be pretty memorable, though, your first Valentine's Day with Caden and everything."

"Yeah, he gave me this bracelet," he held out his left hand, smiling wide as she gazed at the shiny silver, "but it's the same with you and May. Except you're old."

"Smart ass." Harper smirked at him, leaning on the doorway once again. "But, we've been together awhile, you guys are in a brand new blossoming relationship."

"Relax. It's not that much of a big deal." Peter tried to play it off as such, but they both knew he was lying. Harper was like May in that one way: even if the woman only knew him for a few months - unlike May with Peter's entire life - she still could tell what he truly meant in his hormone induced teenage brain. 

"Yes, it is!" Harper insisted, her eyes almost popping out of her head because of her shocked, wide eyed expression. 

"It's just... a day," he sighed, holding back a smile. "We're always admittedly pretty cute everyday, so why would Valentine's Day be any different?"

Harper snorted, chuckling with a head shake as he watched Peter with sparkling eyes. "So, what I'm hearing is that things are good between you two?"

Peter furrowed his brows, wondering if he should laugh. When he saw that Harper had her brows slightly raised, a gentle smile resting on her lips, he found out that she was serious. Why wouldn't everything be fine between the couple?

"Well... yeah? I don't know to answer that because we're fine, but... should we be worried about stuff happening?"

Harper licked her lips slowly in thought, she tapped her heel on Peter's ancient Thor nightlight and then answered with the same gentle smile. "It's just that the honeymoon phase doesn't last forever, Peter."

Before he could even open his mouth to respond, Harper turned on her heel returned to the kitchen. Peter blinked a few times in surprise, his brows knit together permanently as he stared off in space, only pulled out of it by a knock at the front door. 

"Hey, Harper." Caden gave the woman a smile, offering her a small wave as her lips upturned. He held out a bouquet of flowers, a blush creeping onto his cheeks as he eyed Peter watching the exchange from the hallway. "Happy late Valentine's Day."

Harper's smile widened, a shocked expression taking over her face as she looked from the flowers to the boy. "Thank you, Caden. These are so beautiful."

He laughed, hiding his smile behind a hand that went up to adjust his glasses. "It's no problem." His eyes dropped down towards his hand that held another bouquet, and he looked to Peter with a quizzical smile and furrow of his brows as if to ask 'Where's May?' 

Harper took the flowers gently from his hand, patting the back of his hand as a another gesture of thanks. "I'll give them to her when she's done getting ready. I swear, it's like she takes days."

Caden nodded, offering her another smile before making his way to Peter. Caden laced their fingers, Peter smiling up at him with a look of pure amazement. 

"You gave Harper flowers," Peter commented once they were in his room. 

There was a growing smile of shock and happiness on his lips, his eyes sparkling in awe. He situated the door so that it was partly open - enough to satisfy May. He turned to Caden who was sitting in the desk chair with tightly knit brows. 

"Was I not supposed to? I didn't know you liked flowers, I would've-" 

Peter cut off his rambling, entwining his fingers. "You're just so... You're so nice. I can't believe you got my aunt's girlfriend flowers. That's just- It's why I like you so much."

A matching grin had spread across Caden's face. "How do I know that you're telling me the truth?" he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners as his grin grew wider. 

"You'll just have to trust me, I guess." Peter shrugged. Caden tugged on Peter's dress shirt, leaning forward to kiss him. 

"Well, then, it's settled," Caden whispered, holding Peter steady as they leaned their foreheads against each other's. 

"What is?" 

"I know everything there is to know about you now, Peter Parker. Like I promised I would." Caden smiled widely, letting out a chuckle. "Sorry for the wait. It took longer than I thought it would."

At Caden's words, Peter leaned back from him, his smile falling the slightest bit. His breathing quickened, and he could hear his rapid pulsing heartbeat in his ears. He swallowed hard as he met Caden's confused eyes. The older boy didn't know the half of it, and he only knew half of Peter Parker. 

"Caden," he breathed out shakily. He noticed that his palms that started to sweat as he rubbed them together anxiously. "I, uh... I have to-"

Suddenly, May's voice rang through the house. "Time to go, boys!" She opened Peter's door, rushing the couple out a wave of her hand before joining Harper in the kitchen.

"To be continued?" Caden asked with a small laugh. He sat up, planting a kiss on Peter's lips on the way. "C'mon, let's go eat until we can't move!"

Peter could only smile uneasily at the back of his head as he was dragged out of his room, Caden holding his hand and walking in front of him. 

-

As the two couples spent their Saturday night in peace - filling their stomachs with mashed potatoes, Caden and Peter blushing whenever the women moved the conversation towards them, and the women doing the same when the boys mimicked them - Flash was sleeping. 

He had used the weekend to his advantage: trying to sleep soundly without the repeating red and blue strikes in his vision which were causing him a splitting headache. Painkillers wouldn't work either, and it was a constant dull banging in the back of his head.

Every time he'd close his eyes, he could imagine the swipes of color, causing him to get dizzy and nearly vomit. It was a torturous Saturday despite being able to freely practice his powers. 

He couldn't even understand why the colors were so persistent and continuous night after night. The only reasonable explanation - and he had to pinch himself for thinking it was any type of 'normal' reasonable - was that it had something to do with the near future. But... how?


	20. Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more mystery shit???? yes!

To deal with the annoyance of the colors in a rational way, Flash stayed awake for two and a half days straight. He finally passed out from exhaustion - his body shaking from the immense amounts of caffeine in his system - in the cafeteria. 

His lunch tray went crashing onto the floor, a loud clash emitting as a result. It took a while for the states to cease and for students to begin helping him up, but by that point, the faculty had called the nurse for a wheelchair and sent kids to make sure he was okay. 

Meanwhile, Peter and his friend group watched the event take place and stifled giggles, only letting them loose when the cafeteria was at full volume again - like the Flash thing had never happened. 

"Wish I had been recording that," MJ groaned, shaking her head at herself as everyone around her nodded in agreement. "I could've been a viral hit by now."

"That definitely livened up a normal Tuesday," Reese commented, having taken off his headphones after witnessing Flash pass out. "And, don't you know being a viral sensation is Caden's thing?"

MJ turned to the boy with a look that made Reese immediately want to take back his words. Fortunately, Jackie swooped in, smiling at her girlfriend and entwining their fingers. "Yeah, it's been our foolproof plan for over a year. One quick video of Spider-Man and consider his college tuition paid for."

Peter choked on his lunch, stifling his coughs as he gulped down water. He saw Caden's eyebrows furrow in concern, and he shook his head with a smile. "I'm fine," he softly croaked out.

Caden didn't seem convinced as he pressed a quick kiss to Peter's forehead, the same look of concern on his face, before turning to Jackie. 

"Mhm," Caden hummed in a response, draping his arm lazily around Peter. "I'm not exploiting my new best friend, guys."

"Oh, please, what are his powers? Like, string? That's nothing," Jackie scoffed. "I can take him. I'll challenge him to a duel in your honor, Caden. Only one best friend will remain."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," he murmured, putting another fry in his mouth. 

"No thanks necessary," Jackie said, shooting a wink on Caden's direction. 

Ned chuckled, smiling at Peter. "Jackie might have to fight you next. Not just for Caden's honor but for his affection."

With that, MJ narrowed her eyes at Caden, pressing a kiss to Jackie's cheek. Peter glanced towards Ned, shaking his head with a nervous laugh. 

"I'd rather not," he admitted, sending an apologetic glance towards Caden after the older boy had let out an overdramatized gasp, "I just really don't want to fight MJ."

Caden let out a noise of disapproval, removing his arm that was wrapped tightly around Peter. "I'd fight her for you," he whined, shaking his head at the boy.

"Well, that's just so nice of you, but she scares me. Always has."

"That's the goal," MJ raised her brows, nodding her head in approval. She let out a laugh as Jackie seemed to agree with the boys, rolling her eyes as she slung an arm around Jackie's shoulder. 

-

The change of scenery was refreshing to Flash, having woken up in the school with a bleeding head once before. This time, it wasn't that he had gained powers but that his powers had become overwhelming. And, medicine wouldn't work. He had tried it before, and his metabolism was crazy since his powers had started that everything would just go right through him.

So, he was at a loss even a half hour after he became conscious in the small area in the nurse's office where surprisingly comfortable cots were. The cloth smelled vaguely of weed which wasn't a shock as most of the kids to reside at the nurse's were people skipping class: genius turned stoners. 

Flash couldn't remember what was going on in his head while he was out, but he knew that it wasn't the colors. He definitely knew it was a different kind of vision. 

Instead of the familiar swipes of colors clouding his closed eyelids, a different scene was presented to him. It was a pile of trash, scraps of metal all with a deep orange tinge to them. Then, he saw sparks of green electricity with a backsplash of the black city skyline. 

Unlike the red and blue, this vision did not repeat itself. Somehow, this concerned Flash more than the persistent colors because it had only occurred in a brief moment. That fact made him anticipate it more, bracing himself for something horrible to happen on his way to the alleyway after he had been released from school on a medical notice. 

As Flash walked towards the security blanket that was the somewhat deserted alleyway, Peter and Caden were across the city, walking towards Caden's apartment. 

"You're sure no one will be home?" Peter asked for about the millionth time. 

Caden's hand bumped his as they walked side by side which was enough to send a cliche flood of warmth through Peter's body, a goofy grin appearing on his face. 

"Lion, you're more stressed out about this than I am," Caden told him with a grin and, in turn, greatly reassuring the boy. "And, I'm the one who's not out."

"I just don't want anything bad to happen. Anything bad to happen to you," Peter admitted softly, a blush growing on his face as Caden fawned over the comment. 

"And, all this time I thought you'd ditch me at the sight of fighting MJ."

Peter chuckled, letting out an exhale of air that turned cloudy in the brisk temperature. "That comment didn't mean I wouldn't run away from fighting her. I'd definitely still leave you if that was the case."

Caden and Peter stepped into the elevator as they giggled, thankful to be the only ones in it as they were taken to Caden's floor. Caden quickly grabbed Peter's hand, bringing it up to his lips and placing a small kiss on the back of the boy's hand.

"That was really cute," Peter told him, mimicking his actions immediately, a huge smile on their faces. 

"I wish we could do this all of the time," Caden whispered, bringing a solemn tone onto the couple. He squeezed Peter's hand tightly as he let out a shaky breath, biting the inside of his cheek. 

Peter looked at him with sad eyes, mustering up a smile to offer his boyfriend. "I do, too, but what I wish more is that you don't feel pressured by me or anyone and can tell your family when you're ready."

Caden nodded in response, kissing Peter gently before pulling away as the elevator dinged. 

Once in the security of his bedroom, Caden grinned at Peter. "And, you said you wouldn't fight MJ for me," he teased again, watching Peter shake his head.

"Still wouldn't," Peter laughed, reaching up to press a quick kiss on Caden's lips. 

Caden tangled both of their hands together, smiling down and pulling Peter in for a longer kiss. They broke apart at the vibration of Caden's phone - a text from Jackie. 

It was a grainy picture from her view of Caden's room where the curtain was open the slightest bit to see the couple kissing. Underneath she had captioned it with Caught, making Caden smile as he showed it to Peter.

The older boy waved his middle finger at Jackie - or whoever happened to be looking at that moment - and securely shut his curtains. 

-

Flash didn't mean to spend so little time perfecting his powers that afternoon, but with an increasingly painful headache and the fact that the sun still set at early times, he began his walk home. 

He hiked his backpack farther up on his shoulders, miscellaneous binders and folders bouncing around. Heading towards the subway, he smiled to himself at the thought that his parents wouldn't threaten and scream at him for leaving school early like they used to. Ever since he had gained the slightest control of his powers, Flash utilized them to his advantage which consisted of erasing issues concerning him out of his parents' minds daily. 

"Hey, kid!" A gruff voice called out to him. He stopped and quickly turned around to see a bearded, redheaded man smiling at him. 

"I was, uh, just leaving," he mumbled, gesturing to the alleyway behind him. The man nodded, grabbing two full garbage bags from his truck and carrying each securely under an armpit. 

As the man maneuvered the trash bags, Flash spotted a glint of what seemed like the orange metal in his earlier vision. He gulped, waiting anxiously for the man to speak. 

"Do you happen to live in either of these two buildings here?" He nodded to the buildings of the sides of the alleyway. Flash's quick shake of his head was enough for the man to continue. "The alley there seems mostly abandoned  - already cluttered with bottles and wrappers - so I was hoping to drop these bags off here. A truck will come and pick them up tonight, but I was just wondering..."

Flash held back a smile, shaking his head frantically. "No, it's totally fine! You can leave it all here, I'm sure no one will mind at all!"

Jeez, it's just trash, kid. No need to get so excited, the man's voice echoed in Flash's head. Externally, though, the redhead followed through with his plans to dump the trash bags in the alley. 

He silently thanked Flash with a grin. The boy returned the smile, erasing the man's memory of any interaction with Flash before he headed back to his truck - Flash discovered through his self training that he only had to focus hard on erasing people's memory while looking at them to complete the task. The man blinked hard as he turned the key in the ignition, a sign that Flash was successful with his abilities once again. 

Once he saw the truck drive down the road, Flash eagerly raced towards the garbage bags that had already somewhat burst open from the impact with the ground. 

Thankfully, the metal scraps were laying on top so he didn't have to dig through the rest of the unknown trash. He quickly opened his bag, shoving the different sized orange pieces alongside tests and loose leaf.

The crunch of what sounded like a soda can made Flash shut his bag and look up. A small brunette girl who seemed no older than ten was intently watching Flash, and she seemed ready to run away at any second. 

He couldn't have her remember this encounter; it was too risky even if she didn't know his name. It was too risky even though she was a child and would probably forget about it in the next hour. 

As she was about to turn and walk away, he quickly erased her memory of ever seeing him digging through the trash and sent her on her way. Flash looked down the street and across it to see if anyone else had spotted him, but the coast seemed clear. 

The metal weighed down his bag a bit, but he was lucky enough to get an open seat on the subway headed towards the place where he knew the vision he had would easily play out: his school. 

Walking into the school made by geniuses for geniuses an hour after school let out wasn't that difficult. It helped that Flash claimed he was staying after for robotics club that didn't meet on Wednesdays, the fact that the secretaries never felt the need to double check on that, and that Mr. Harrington gave decathlon officers the key to his room that held all of the tools for the robotics club. 

Locking the classroom door behind him and using his phone as his main source of light, Flash got to work. He pulled out the various toolboxes Harrison had in the room, and he took out the tools he thought could be the most useful in his newest project: creating a super suit. 

His vision sparked the idea that if he had these powers he intended to use, he needed a nice suit to go with it. Unfortunately the orange metal itself wasn't enough material to create a full suit along with the fact that it wouldn't exactly be comfortable or warm at all. Flash had made a stop at his house before going to the school, grabbing an old black morph suit that he had used as a brilliantly terrifying Halloween costumes a few years back. 

He figured the black material could be the base of the suit, and the metal could act as vibrant accents while also being used as a source of protection. 

As the hours passed and Flash had successfully created a suit to his liking, he had realized that by adding electrical components and wires throughout the suit that he needed some way to power it. Folding the suit carefully into his bag, Flash exited the vacant school and began walking towards the subway all the while thinking of how he could power his suit so it would last for a long time. 

Finally, on one of the many stops to get back to his house from the school, the idea came to Flash's mind. "It's so simple," he repeated to himself as he ran out of the train.

"The one time I bring my charger," he whispered to himself with a smile on the mostly quiet street. He pulled his charger out of his bag, his suit taken out afterwards, and he connected the charging block to one of the newly installed charging stations step up outside of the subway. "Please work," were his last words before connecting the plug into the suit. 

-

"What the hell?!" Tabitha screamed at the top of her lungs. She flipped on and off the switch to her hairdryer multiple times before throwing it down in defeat. The power was out, leaving her with half blown out, half frizzy hair. 

Caden and Peter heard her stomping to the older boy's room and quickly separated from their cuddling position they had been in while watching Netflix for the past hours. She swung open the door and stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. 

"The power's out," she grumbled as if Caden was the cause of the electricity going out. 

"Nice hair," Caden teased, grabbing a few strands of her frizzy hair before his hand was slapped away. She shot him a dirty look that even in the dark was enough to make him quit it. 

"Our movie turned off if that's what you want to hear," Caden continued talking with his sister, neither of them noticing Peter walking toward Caden's window. 

He knew it wasn't raining hard out, and there wasn't a storm that could've caused the power outage, so it had to be something more. After waiting a few seconds and not hearing police sirens, he had a feeling that it was something dangerous. 

The sparks of dying green electricity a short distance away were enough to confirm his suspicions, and he quickly gathered his things. 

"I-I have to go," Peter interrupted the siblings, both of them turning to him in the dark. "May will be worried, and I should've been home by now anyways."

"Can't you just text her?" Caden asked, swiveling in his rolling chair. His eyes were bright against the dark room, making Peter want to reconsider ever saying anything. "I mean, it's not safe to go out there right now. I don't want you to walk out there all the way home without the train working or anything like that. It's already dark... c'mon, Li- Peter... I think it'd be safer to stay."

Clearly uninterested in the conversation happening, Tabitha cleared her throat loudly. "I'm gonna text Mom and Dad and see what's happening," she told Caden, running her hands through her frizzy hair. A crush on Peter Parker wasn't enough to make her forget about her awful looking hair.

The two watched Tabitha walk to her room and shut the door before Caden turned back to Peter. "I really have to go, Caden," Peter said finally, thankful when Caden nodded his head. 

"I'll walk you to the lobby."

Caden grabbed his phone to use as a flashlight and yelled to Tabitha where he was going before leading Peter out of the apartment. The walk down the multiple flights of stairs was silent, the two not even holding hands despite it being pitch black.

In the deserted staircase area, Caden said goodbye to Peter. He could tell Peter was distracted and keeping him in the apartment wasn't going to help that. Still, when Peter unlaced their semi entwined fingers, leaving Caden leaning in for a kiss only to see Peter racing towards the exit of his building, it was hard not to feel hurt by it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummmm things are heading south everyone hold onto your hats


	21. Teen Anxieties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> having faith in Tony Stark? I know her

Swinging through the cold, dark city towards what seemed to be vibrant green lightning made Peter very anxious. Sure, the sparks could be anything really, but he had a gut feeling that it wasn't as simple as that. 

He abandoned his backpack a few blocks away from the sparks, rapidly undressing and getting into his Spider-Man suit. 

Approaching the source of the sparks - one of those fancy charging stations next to the subway - Peter furrowed his brows. He had never seen anything like that happen before, and he wasn't an electrician no matter how many times May had gotten him to repair the electronics around the house because he was a "genius child."

"What the...?" a familiar voice questioned behind him. Peter instantly froze up, recognizing Flash's voice immediately.

Peter finally turned around, his eyes widening at what he saw. Flash was covered head to toe in a black morph suit that was designed with what seemed like orange metal pieces, and a vibrant green wire acted as a accent throughout the whole suit. Carefully cut out holes showed Flash's narrowed eyes and his mouth slightly agape. 

"I'm guessing by the green in your," Peter waved his hand, gesturing to Flash's appearance, "costume that you know what caused these green sparks."

Flash crossed his arms, frowning as he was clearly insulted. "It's a super suit," he defended. 

Peter shot a web to a nearby rooftop, a small grin on his face. "And, that's my floss. In theory, it could work, but it would just be a horrible idea overall."

With that, he jumped to the rooftop, peering down at a scowling Flash with amusement. Flash scoffed, putting his hands on his hips. "Whatever, insect. I know my powers are much better than yours can ever be. So, you can just stay there swinging from building to building without any care."

Peter has to admit that he wasn't sure what Flash was capable of at that point. He didn't know what powers Flash had or didn't have; he wasn't even sure if the whole thing was just a joke. Still, he stayed on the roof, gesturing for Flash to join him. 

Peter watched him try and fail at scaling the building with only his hands and feet. He had to laugh, shaking his head at the pathetic excuse. "Strike number one. You don't even have a power to get you from place to place, how are you supposed to fight anyone?"

Flash rolled his eyes, the whites of his eyes being the only thing Peter could see other than the bright green part of his suit. Peter laughed to himself, grabbing Flash with a web. "Because I'm such a nice guy - You know, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? - I'll help you out just this one time."

Peter pulled Flash up with such force that the boy went airborne over the roof and came down crashing a few feet away from Peter. Peter dusted his hands off, standing over Flash who was groaning in pain, and he had to admit that it was a good feeling to make Flash feel like he had for years. 

After Flash had rolled over onto his back, Peter waved at him, earning a middle finger in return. "Funny guy," he commented before tying him up in webs. "This is to make sure you don't cause anymore city blackouts for a bit. Bye bye."

As Peter turned away, Flash's eyes bored into the red and blue hero's back, but Peter was too fast jumping off of the building for Flash to erase his memory. 

Peter leaped down from the building with a grin. He quickly patched up parts of the charging station with his webbing. He grabbed Flash's backpack from out of the street and left an Out of Service! note stuck to the side of the charging station. 

As soon as he was away from the scene, Karen's robotic voice spoke urgently to him. "A call from Iron Dad is coming through, Peter. Someone is trying to mess with your head, and we've detected it on numerous occasions."

Before he could focus on the serious aspect of the message she gave him, Peter had to laugh at the contact name he had put in for Tony - one that played in Tony's voice that Peter had taken from split seconds of his Germany vlogs and mashed together. 

Soon, Tony's concerned voice was in Peter's ears. The boy listened intently as he sat on his fire escape. 

"So, what exactly has been happening?" Peter questioned after moments that Tony had spent explaining the exact situation. "Both you and Karen are telling me that someone's been... erasing my memories?"

"Yes," Tony responded firmly. "This is serious business, kid, and it was detected as soon as you left that guy you ran into tonight. He's the one doing it."

"You mean Flash? You guys can't be serious, he's never had powers as long as I've been tormented by him-"

"Tormented?" Tony's voice got softer, and Peter could envision the crease of concern forming between his eyebrows at that moment. 

"Everything's fine now," Peter quickly answered, clearing his throat before attempting to change the subject. "So, how was this even found out? You know... Flash erasing my memory and stuff."

"Apparently Karen detected changes happening to your brain chemistry and its structure - something that has happened at least once before - but after you jumped off of that building, everything was normal again."

"That's actually... pretty cool!" 

"No, it isn't, Peter," the man stated, and it was enough to wipe the smile off of Peter's face. "We don't know how many other minds he's erased, and we don't know whose minds have been effected by him."

"What can I do about it?" Peter huffed out in exasperation. "I can only... shoot webs." He made a face as he spoke, the dark city around him matching his emotions: hopeless. He was hopeless for any ideas to come to mind, or in the city's case, any light to come that night. 

"Well, thankfully, your suit prevents against one of his abilities: mind reading. The software I've installed has this magic that unfortunately doesn't have the coding for erasing memories, but it does have the coding for rejecting someone trying to read your mind." Peter heard Tony let out a long sigh. Of course Flash would become a trouble outside of school, Peter thought. "That only works if your mask is on, though."

"As for the erasing bit... it all depends on movement, you know? Of you move him around he won't be able to focus on you long enough to erase your mind. And, if you do your thing and swing around and jump through the air, there's no way he'll be able to pinpoint you and erase your mind."

-

All Peter could think about for the next week was whether Flash would strike again. It was anxiety inducing to think that he could start something during the school day where Peter wouldn't be able to stop him without revealing his identity to, well, everyone.

February was coming to a close which meant that March was coming up which meant that it was almost a month until Caden's birthday. That seemed to be all anybody could talk about. With Peter being Caden's boyfriend he should've been the one mostly concerned with the celebration planning, but his thoughts were all on Flash. And, his seeming disinterest in Caden's birthday plans was quickly noticed by his friends. 

"So, what do you guys really have planned?" Caden asked, excitedly rapping his hands on Peter's desk. "It shouldn't be something huge - I mean, I won't complain if it is. But, I'm only turning seventeen. One more year until the big birthday."

The group of friends had gathered at Peter's house, pretty much forcing themselves there, spontaneously. They had just been hanging out, watching random YouTube videos on Peter's laptop, eating some of the food since May had given them a strict limit so they wouldn't eat everything in one afternoon. Meanwhile, in between ads and loading screens, Caden had been begging everyone to tell him what they had planned for his birthday.

Even at his own house, Peter was distant. He laid on his bed in mostly silence, laughing at some parts of the videos, but otherwise just chewing his nails - a nervous habit that had started up again after the Flash situation - and half listening to everyone around him. 

As the video they had been watching attentively ended, Jackie smiled sweetly at Caden. "We're not telling you anything." She emphasized her point with a few excited bounces on Peter's bed as she was sitting on the edge of the mattress with MJ at her feet. 

Caden hummed in thought before quickly looking to Peter with a smile. "Fine, but I'll just have Peter tell me. He tells me basically everything, so he won't be able to keep it a secret for long."

MJ gagged, Ned simultaneously making noises of disgust. "We don't need any details," she said, her nose wrinkled as if she smelled something rancid. 

Reese looked up from his phone, letting out a laugh. "I doubt if Peter even knows what we're talking about. He's been a little out of it, if we're being honest."

Everyone turned to look towards Peter, the boy blinking quickly before giving them a confused glance. Reese raised his brows with a smile as if to say to Caden Told you so. 

Before Caden could smile and ask Peter if he would spill on what the celebrations were for his birthday, his phone buzzed in his lap. "It's Tabitha," he murmured almost like a question, "I'll be right back."

Jackie sighed happily, smiling as Caden shut the door behind him. "Tabitha came through. I honestly didn't expect her to call him as quickly as she did. Props to her."

"Why did you have Tabitha call Caden?" Peter asked, propping his head up with a hand. His brows were furrowed at the small girl as she continued to grin. 

"To tell you what the plan is for Caden's birthday obviously!" Jackie exclaimed, rapping her hands on her knees like a drumroll. 

Peter sighed, shaking his head with an embarrassed smile. "Oh. I'm sorry about-" 

"It's fine," Reese quickly cut in, "We know you're dealing with stuff."

"We'll tell you what we've been planning." Ned nodded in confirmation, smiling at his best friend. 

While all of his friends tried to make Peter feel more relieved, MJ didn't take that route. She knew something suspicious was happening with him, and she wanted to know. "What's even going on with you, Peter?" she asked, nearly cutting Ned off. 

Peter's mouth went dry, and he met Ned's wide eyes. "Uh, you know... It's just those... teen anxieties. School and stuff."

The girl made a face at him before dropping the subject, leaving Jackie to excitedly whisper plans for Caden's birthday. The plan included a movie night after a day spent in one of those places that was made up of trampolines because they all loved those. Jackie mentioned a lot of other things that Peter couldn't keep track of in his head, and she had to stop in the middle of a sentence when Caden returned. 

"Talking about me?" he joked, a teasing smile on his lips. Peter smiled back at him, shaking his head slowly. 

"Just your birthday plans," Ned told him, laughing at Caden's sudden shock. "What was the call with Tabitha all about?" he was quick to ask before Caden could get any birthday related details out of him. 

Groaning loudly, Caden rolled his eyes. "Nothing, absolutely nothing," he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "She had some questions to ask about her homework, but halfway through the call she realized she knew how to do them."

After Caden had finished talking, MJ stood up, bringing Jackie up with her. "Well, if you two are done talking about the teenage girl mess that is Tabitha, can we go to the living room? I'm tired of these videos, so let's see what's on TV."

Peter agreed with the idea, flashing them a smile as they walked out of the room, Reese and Ned following behind them. 

Caden stood up and shut the door, walking over to Peter to sit next to him on the bed. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Peter shook his head, smiling gently but it was killing him inside. Caden's voice was so soft and full of concern, but Peter had dug himself a grave, he had missed too many opportunities to tell him his double life. "It's nothing," he replied, entwining their fingers. 

Caden made a face at him, scrunching his lips in thought before shaking his head. "Is it 'nothing,' though? Something's bothering you, Lion, and you know you can tell me literally anything."

Peter cast his eyes downward, absentmindedly rubbing the back of Caden's hand with his thumb. "I know. Of course I know, Argo," he emphasized that point, meeting Caden's eyes for a split second. "It's just... Everything that's happening now is for the Stark internship, and you know, the Tony has really strict rules... I can't tell anyone what's happening. Not even May. But, I promise, it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be, okay?"

Caden had his brows furrowed, looking very unconvinced. His face broke out into a grin, his blue eyes crinkling behind his glasses. "Okay. I trust you." 

Caden leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss onto Peter's lips before standing up. He looked behind him, Peter still sitting on the edge of his bed, his eyebrows drawn upwards as a grin curved his lips. 

"Caden?"

"Yeah?" 

"I just," Peter sighed softly, biting the inside of his cheek as he met Caden's eyes, "I like you a lot. Thank you for trusting me."

Caden instantly smiled. "I like you more. And, of course, Lion. Anytime." He tugged Peter up off of the bed and started towards the living room. 

As soon as they got to the door, Ned opened it, staring at them for an awkward second. He pointed to his best friend, letting out a huff of a laugh to ease the awkwardness. "I just need to steal Peter for a second."

Caden nodded, letting go of Peter's hand and matching Ned's laugh. He looked down at Peter, the corner of his mouth upturning into a smirk. "I'll see you out there."

Ned almost slammed the door in Caden's face, the noise making Peter jump. Ned quickly turned to face him, an anxious look on his face. "Are you okay?"

Peter finally let it all out, his face crumpling into a frown and the frustration making him have to fight back angry tears. "This whole Flash situation is too crazy. I haven't slept in, like, a week!" He covered his face with his hands, the rest of his words slightly muffled. "Not to mention the fact that everyone's suspicious now. Especially Caden."

Ned nodded. It was exactly what he thought: how could anyone just live everyday life normally after discovering a kid in school has powers he intends to use for evil? He placed a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder, speaking in a calm, gentle voice as his best friend was way past the point of losing it. 

"Just relax. I know that's shitty advice, but you have to just breathe, alright? Mr. Stark will be able to fix your suit where you'll be able to defeat him without risk of you losing any memories."

Ned gave Peter an optimistic smile when he looked up from his hands. On the other hand, Peter furrowed his brows, making a doubtful face at his best friend.

"How is he supposed to stop Flash from attacking the entire school? The chance of the attack happening during a school day is high, and I won't be able to just run into the bathroom and get my suit on and stop him!" 

Ned had to take a step away from the boy, the gesticulations Peter made coming close to hitting him.

Ned shrugged, letting out a tired sigh. He offered Peter an uneasy smile with his brows raised. "I guess we just have to believe in him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chaps until heartbreak :)


	22. Death of a Spider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “friends” reunion gone wrong

No one was expecting Flash Thompson to be silent after he passed out in the middle of the cafeteria.

In a way, this silence made Peter more anxious than the thought of Flash destroying the day, walking to and from the bathroom with a pass masking his true intentions.

Though he was quiet after his embarrassing turn of events, Flash was scheming which was the main reason for him to text his group of "friends" after not speaking to them for months. 

"Thompson," one of the blond twins greeted him outside of the school. "Long time, no see."

Flash only nodded in response, watching as the rest of the boys circled around him, some sitting while others opted to stand over him. 

As they all watched him expectantly, Flash started the conversation that mirrored how the group formed in the eighth grade: "I know a way to take down Parker... but you guys will just have to trust me."

After explaining his whole idea - to which the boys were surprisingly excited for - Flash and his group snuck back into the school for about the hundredth time since the New Year had started. 

Distracting one of the many chemistry teachers was the easy part, but getting her away from the classroom was a different story. Eventually making up that he had discovered some kind of leakage in the boy's bathroom seemed to do the trick and he left the group to follow though on his plan. 

Once he heard the crash from the chemistry lab, he smiled to himself. But, when the teacher immediately started for the classroom he realized that his plan wasn't going the way he had intended.

Screams of pain only made her race towards her classroom and made Flash realize that the plan had gone horribly wrong. 

-

Not even a full minute after Caden had left the Parker apartment for the night - ending with an awkward peck as May had definitely been watching them - May jumped on Peter with an idea. 

"Wouldn't it be nice to have Caden over for dinner sometime?" she asked her nephew, standing in the doorway of his bedroom with a smile. When Peter looked up with an unamused face, she waved her arms as if to take back her proposal. "I mean, he's always at our house anyways... what's another hour to him, right?"

"Why do you want him to have dinner here?" Peter looked up from his phone, seriously asking her, the expressionless tone in his voice making May bite back a laugh. 

As quickly as she began smiling, her expression melted into a look of concern. Peter dropped his act immediately, his lips turning downwards in a frown and his brows instinctively furrowing. 

"You guys just haven't seemed like you used to be, like, a month ago." May's eyes swam with worry for the fate of the boys' relationship, and it was so intense that Peter couldn't bring himself to look at her. 

"May, it's okay," Peter said softly, plastering a smile onto his lips. She was too far away to notice that the reassurance didn't quite meet his eyes. "It's all worked out, don't worry."

"Alright." May nodded once, turning to walk away from his room and back into the kitchen. Before leaving, she leaned into his room with a grin. "Invite him to dinner!"

Before they even knew it, a week after the initial proposal, Peter and Caden were sitting on the Parker's couch eating pizza on paper plates. 

Meanwhile, May was behind them fanning her burnt smoking stir fry. With a groan, she dumped what was in the charred remains into the garbage, throwing the pan into the sink. 

Joining the boys on the couch, she waved her hand and they moved over to give her a spot. Peter pointed to the plate on the coffee table without dragging his eyes away from the TV screen. "Pepperoni. I took one out for you and put pepper on it."

"Thank you, Lion." She watched Caden's lips curl into a smile, the light from the TV illuminating their faces so she saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink. May grinned, shaking her head as the boys' attention were glued to the movie playing in front of them. "So, what are we watching tonight?"

"Hearts Beat Loud," Peter answered quickly, waving his hand somewhat dismissively as he was smiling at the girl and her father singing.

"We had thought this girl gave off some gay energy, and we were right," Caden explained, his eyes shifting from the screen to meet May's for a split second. "She's getting a girlfriend soon, I think."

"Ah," May mused. She turned towards the screen with a smile, impressed with the scene of the two characters making such quality music from what seems like a spare room with instruments thrown into it. 

The movie continued to impress the three of them, and when it - and the entire pizza pie - was finished, Peter and Caden left May to go to Peter's room. 

They laid down on Peter's bed, and Peter slid his laptop over to where they rested, opening it. "Do you wanna watch anything, or are you sick of movies?"

Caden turned on his side, propping himself up with an elbow. He leaned over Peter, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. The two smiled as Caden pulled away before the older boy spoke. "As much as I love movies, I'd rather talk."

"Okay..." Peter replied, the dragged out ending of his agreement sounding more like a question. 

Caden chuckled, shaking his head at him. "It's nothing bad. It's just that we haven't hung out and just talked in a while, you know?"

Peter gave him a reassured smile, nodding along as Caden spoke. "Yeah, yeah. I understand. I'm sorry for being weird."

"You don't need to apologize," Caden gently told him. He smiled down at Peter, turning back to lay down next to him. 

He grabbed Peter's hand, grinning as he twirled the lion bracelet around Peter's wrist. They were both entertained by this for a while, just happy in the happy silence over them.

"Caden?" Peter whispered, watching his boyfriend stop in the middle of tracing the outside of the lion's head. 

"Mhm?" Caden hummed, taking the bracelet off of Peter's wrist to jingle it in his hand softly. Peter giggled, shaking his head at the things Caden was so entertained by. 

Peter cleared his throat, the smile wiping off of his face as the same concerns involving Flash flooded his mind again unbeknownst to Caden. Still, he tried to be as nonchalant as possible with his question, "Don't you think it's weird that Flash hasn't been at school all week? Or, at least, hasn't been in chem?"

Caden scrunched his brows together, turning to look at Peter. Peter turned his head to face him, his face slowly heating as Caden seemed judgmental in a way. 

"I try not to think about him all that much," Caden softly replied, giving him a shrug. "Maybe he has the flu? I heard that's been going around the school."

Peter nodded, smiling more for Caden's benefit than his own. Mentally, he tried to convince himself that Flash did have a stomach bug or some other illness and wasn't out planning to destroy Midtown High for a whole week. 

"Is that what you've been worrying about this whole time? Flash?" Caden asked, the serious look on his face fading into a small smile while Peter looked at him, worried.

Caden kissed Peter's forehead with a smile. He grabbed the silver bracelet, fastening it back onto Peter's wrist then took both of Peter's hands in his own. "Everything's okay. Those rules were put down for a reason, he can't get you anymore. And, if he tries, he'll have to get through me first, alright?"

Peter pulled Caden into a hug, laying his forehead on Caden's shoulder as they laid there wrapped in each other's arms.

-

"I had a really nice time tonight," Caden told May as he pulled on his jacket and hat. "Thank you for inviting me over, May." He looked to Peter with a smile which wildly contradicted Peter's faux sneer. 

"You're allowed to come over anytime, Caden." The woman pulled him into a hug, ruffling his hat on his head. When they broke the hug, she held him at an arm's length away, smiling at him. "But, you already know that."

"Yeah, I do," he replied with a laugh. He waved behind him as Peter held the apartment door open. "Thank you again!" he called out, laughing as Peter quickly dragged him to the elevator. "So quick to get rid of me?"

Peter shook his head with a grin. "Are you kidding?" He pulled Caden in for a kiss, both of them smiling into it. 

"I was thinking when we were all watching that movie," Caden paused to entwine their fingers, "that maybe we could do something like that at my house if you'd want to."

Peter jumped on the topic, grabbing Caden's arms in excitement. "Yes! I would love to do that... I want to get to know your family more anyways." He then sighed, realization hitting him hard. "But, if you don't feel comfortable with-"

"No." Caden shook his head multiple times before continuing, a stern look on his face as he spoke. "Lion, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to do this."

"As long as you're okay, Argo."

Caden grinned, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I'm okay."

"Then, that's all that matters," Peter told him, looking up at his blue eyes with an equally wide grin. Peter leaned forward to press the elevator button. "Do I have to be an impressive friend? Should I bring my finest suit?"

Caden rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "No, you definitely shouldn't. It's not like it's suddenly going to be my own coming out party. If we're lucky we can link pinkies underneath the table or something while pretending to like my mom's new experiment. She'll manage to combine every single food imaginable into one dish, so you'll have to be easy on her."

"Can't wait," Peter breathed out with a chuckle. He linked their pinkies, a smirk tugging playing on his lips, gazing at Caden in adoration. 

Caden inhaled in relief, breaking Peter's admiring gaze when the elevator announced its arrival with a ding. 

Caden stepped into the elevator, pressing the button that keeps the elevator doors open for a few more seconds. "I'll call you once I'm home so we can talk about this, yeah?"

Peter nodded, waving a final goodbye. Suddenly, as Peter had started to walk away, he heard Caden yell from the elevator. 

"I have something else to say!" he called out, smiling when Peter returned to the elevator. Caden was holding down the elevator open button, shrugging when Peter gave him a look, laughing at him. "I wanted to say something, like, about the Flash thing from earlier... Please don't stress over him. Everything will turn out okay."

Peter nodded, finally waving as the doors shut on Caden. He headed back to his apartment, shaking his head. If only Caden knew how wrong he was, Peter thought, sighing.

-

A week after Flash's plan went disastrously wrong, he could still feel a slight pounding in the back of his head from the excruciating headache he had gained from the situation. Erasing tens of peoples' minds in less than a day wasn't a good idea, ironically continuing the trend of the bad ideas Flash had for that day.

Eventually, when the group of boys were out of the emergency room for the mysterious chemical burns they had gotten, Flash sent them the location of his precious alley. They met up there, and that's where Flash discovered that his plan had worked in a brilliantly awful way.

Though the plan failed to simulate the conditions which Flash had gained his powers from, the burns and different chemicals made each of the boys gain a unique power of their own. 

Kyle had healing, and his twin Quinn had night vision. While another boy named Sean had the important power of enhanced senses, something Flash not-so-discreetly envied. The most ironic power pairing was the redhead of the group, Ashton, having heat vision. 

The days after the hospital stay, Flash tried to guide the boys in controlling their individual powers. They skipped school and even came back at nighttime to see the intensity of Quinn and Ashton's skills.

"What do Parker and her boyfriend love the most?" Flash asked them one night, his lips settling into a smirk. When no one answered, he laid out the plan with a simple name: "Spider-Man." 

Contrary to his other plans that hadn't gone well, Flash was certain that his newest idea would end well in his years-in-the-making plan to take down Peter. 

With his group of boys, bringing on the fall of the so-called friendly neighborhood Spider-Man would be the easiest thing to accomplish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya’ll the next chapter though OOF


	23. Rollercoaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> caught up in a lie (and his own webbing)

The first day of spring didn't bring much ease to the chill that seemed to be permanently hung over the city during the winter months. 

The insistent chill didn't stop crimes from happening in spurts, though. Ned called Peter earlier in the day as they both looked over police scanners in the area. It was then that Peter decided to drag out his patrol throughout most of the day.

Despite the cold, Peter was sweating in his suit as he stood on a decorated rooftop in the middle of Queens. While looking across the horizon of the city, he could see blocks away. It was a pretty amazing sight, even better considering the strings of leftover Christmas lights around the roof.

"Doesn't the city look so nice today, Karen?" he spoke aloud to the suit, smiling a bit.

The robotic voice let out a hum of agreement. "It definitely looks picture perfect. Would you like a picture of this moment, Peter?"

Peter gasped, his smile widening. "You can do that?! Yes, snap a picture, Karen!"

He heard a click echo through his mask. Soon, a high quality photo of the skyline was spit out through a compartment in which his web fluid would usually shoot out of. He admired the sleekness of the photo, wondering how he never knew Karen was a camera. Then again, he never knew of Karen's existence until months before.

"Is that satisfactory, Peter, or would you like another one?" Karen asked, the robotic voice speaking throughout the suit.

"Oh, no, it's awesome! I was just thinking about how I never knew you could even take pictures; that's amazing!" Peter exclaimed, a smile taking over his face. "Thank you, Karen." 

"I've always been a camera of sorts. Remember that Thor impression you did? I can play it now if you'd like," Karen told him, starting a whirring sound as the video was brought up as a hologram of sorts through Peter's web shooter. 

"Nope! We do not have to relive that... again..." Peter told her, flailing his arms around in an attempt to get rid of the video. 

"I record everything because it's what I see. And, you're welcome, Peter." The way Karen's voice hit Peter's ears made him think that there was a huge possibility that robots could speak with some emphasis or laughter in their voices. Soon, he shrugged the thought away, shoving the picture into a pair of lightweight shorts he had underneath his suit. 

For a few hours, the crimes Peter ran into were simple ones that he would've done while patrolling after just discovering his powers. He helped an old woman who had gotten her purse stolen, he tracked down a stolen car, he even had to write old fashioned notes of bikes again. 

But, Peter was not expecting to run into Flash on the roof of a building who was accompanied by four other kids. Peter had gotten lost in convincing himself that he would never have to face the people that harassed him on a day-to-day basis for years, that seeing them rendered him speechless for a few seconds. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart, and his breathing became shaky.

"-his heart's beating mad fast," a boy Peter recognized as Sean finished telling Flash. 

Peter blinked, finally able to take more steps closer to the group. Funnily enough, the five boys noticeably took a step back as Peter approached them, and the smirk on Flash's face was gone for a second. 

"Flash, are you sure about this, dude? I mean, we're not even in suits like you are!" One of the twins yelled to the leader of the group. Flash rolled his eyes, shooting him a look. 

"Don't say names, idiot," Flash spit out at the boy, his teeth clenched. He shook his head at the group of boys before looking to Peter once again. 

Meanwhile, Sean didn't look like he was backing down anytime soon. "Why's your breath shaky, Spider-Man, hmm?" he taunted, taking a step closer to Peter.

"Enhanced senses," Karen informed Peter which made Peter bite his lip in thought. Although Peter had enhanced senses, too, he wasn't sure whether or not Sean had any other abilities which could be seen as either a huge advantage or disadvantage to Peter.

"So," Peter cleared his throat, addressing Flash who smiled wickedly, "I see you have a team now." He lowered the octave of his voice, anxious that the boys would recognize his voice despite not being around him for a few months at that point. 

Flash opened his mouth to answer, but he was quickly interrupted by the superhero in front of him. "Hey." Peter pointed to one of the twins who held a camera, making Flash smack his forehead in annoyance. "I'm already a viral sensation. I appreciate it though."

The boy opened and closed his mouth, searching for words while looking like a dying fish. He continued filming the events with shaky hands, offering Spider-Man a nervous grin. Peter shook his head, grabbing the blond's twin brother's hand who was reaching up to punch him.

"Nice try," Peter complimented before throwing him across the rooftop. 

Flash surged towards him, and Peter quickly jumped out of his way, attaching his webbing to a nearby building. Tony's voice echoed through Peter's mind, and he hoped that none of the other boys had the same abilities as Flash.

Peter threw himself at Flash, kicking him beside the blond who was insistently filming the fight. The other twin raced over to Flash, gripping his arms before they both stood up, seemingly unharmed.

"It seems like the boy Kyle has the power of healing," Karen told Peter. "Though, Quinn doesn't seem to have any powers at all... or, at least, he doesn't have any that would be successful in this environment."

Suddenly, as Peter was listening to Karen speak to him, he saw smoke out of the corner of his eyes. He yelped, his eyes widening as another boy Ashton backed away. The redhead's eyes returned to normal before attacking again, what looked like lasers shooting out of his eyes and onto Peter's suit. 

He didn't need Karen's help to figure out what Ashton's powers were. Thankfully, the Spider suit was fire retardant, and Peter could only feel the heat off of the hot lasers without the pain factor. 

Flash pushed Ashton out of the way, making Peter move away from him quickly. Peter fought his way from Flash, kicking at him and shooting webs at him and the other boys. 

It was when he had caught Quinn, Kyle, and Sean in webs and attached them to frost covered lawn furniture that Tony called him. Peter was breathing heavily, trying to stay away from Flash as much as possible while simultaneously attempting to tie him up. 

"Kid, don't speak. Just listen." Tony was strict and straight to the point that it almost made Peter stop everything he was doing. 

Tony sighed, and Peter heard shuffling on the man's side of the call. "You have to get out of there. I don't know everything those kids are capable of, and I don't know how they got their powers. But, I know that they're a threat to you right now, so you have to leave and steer clear of them until we're able to pinpoint their weaknesses. I'll give you updates later."

With that, Tony hung up. Throughout the short call, Peter had managed to get some webbing around Flash, but not as much as he would've liked. Obeying Tony's orders, Peter shot a web and swung away from the mess of Flash's group. 

-

After Tony had hung up the phone, Ned immediately called Peter. On the fifth ring, Peter picked up, safely on a rooftop, trying to steady his breathing from the anxiousness that had consumed him.

"Dude!" Ned yelled into the phone. "That was Flash and his friends!" He stammered out a bunch of unintelligible words, shocked at the whole event he had just witnessed through his laptop. 

"I know, Ned," Peter responded, breathless. "Tony just called, and he told me to go."

"So... what happened?! I don't get the sound through this thing, you know!" Ned exclaimed, tapping excitedly on his desk. He closed his laptop, smiling as he spoke into the phone.

"Will you be quiet?!" Peter asked of him, talking a bit loudly himself as he swung to another rooftop. 

"Mhm hm," Ned eagerly agreed, and Peter chuckled to himself. He could tell just by the tone of his little agreement that he was bursting with excitement to hear the details of his encounter with Flash and his group of boys.

"Thank you." Peter held a lengthy pause, finally cracking with a grin when Ned let out an impatient groan. "Okay, so you saw what happened earlier: I was just helping some random people with small things, getting to there before the police came, the usual Spider-Man business."

Peter continued after he was certain that Ned was listening along. "And, then out of nowhere, I go on the top of some apartment building, and Flash is there! Not only that, but he's with his goons too: Quinn, Kyle, Sean, and Ashton."

"What were their powers? How did they get them? What did Tony say? How are you g-"

"Ned," Peter said with a smile, shaking his head at the boy. "Sean had enhanced senses which is probably the worst out of the group besides Flash. Kyle has some type of power that wouldn't work in the 'environment' we were in - Karen's words, not mine. Quinn had healing powers which is also pretty bad for me, and Ashton had, like, heat vision of some sort."

"Oh, wow. There's not really a way to fight them off..." Ned let out a long exhale, the sound crackling in Peter's ears for a second. It was a sound of defeat, a sound that Peter felt deep in his gut as he looked below him to see people rushing through their lunch breaks. 

"Yeah," Peter quietly agreed, walking along a web tightrope to another rooftop. "That's what Tony basically meant, I guess. I can't really stop them at all! We don't know how Flash got his powers, we don't know how the boys got their powers, we don't know their weaknesses, we don't know anything!"

Peter trailed off on his rant upon hearing Ned's hitched breath on the phone. "It's true," Peter whispered, shaking his head at the whole situation. "Sorry for screaming, but it's true, Ned."

"It's not, Pete," Ned gently spoke, and Peter could envision a soft smile on the boy's lips. "Tony's got this, alright? He's definitely still working on stuff, and I only know that because I like to watch the software programming in your suit change whenever he gets his hands on it. You guys'll find the answers you need soon. I have faith in that."

"That makes one of us."

Ned didn't respond fast enough to avoid Peter spiraling into another crisis. "I mean, what am I supposed to do about this?! I'm a superhero, but I'm a teenager! I can't exactly carry my suit around at all times when anyone could find out who I am. And, Flash and them could cause a whole disaster in the school - that's my worst fear if we're being honest - and I can't fucking do anything to stop it from happening."

Ned let out an unsure chuckle, clearing his throat when Peter remained silent. "Let's change the subject to something less anxiety inducing, yeah?"

Peter agreed with a groan, breathing out heavily in an attempt to calm himself down. Fortunately, the subject of Ned's topic change made Peter's heart beat quicken for a whole different reason. 

"So, are you and Caden normal again?" 

Peter laughed, his face heating up just at the mention of his boyfriend's name. "Yeah, it's very normal. A good normal. A great normal, actually. Things are... kinda perfect."

"Oh, really?" Ned chuckled, saying it in a way that made Peter want to shrink into himself out of embarrassment. "How?"

Peter winced, looking upwards as he thought for a few seconds. "I don't know, I just feel like everything is going so well between us right now, Ned. Almost too good which has been in the back of my mind a bit. Like - okay, this is weird - when I imagine us together... it's always the first drop of a rollercoaster."

Ned hummed in a questioning tone, and Peter took this as a sign to explain what his rambling meant. "You know... being with him is this thing where - like the rollercoaster analogy - it's my heart racing and my stomach gets kind of sick. And, in the back of my mind it's this small impending doom that could happen at anytime. It's a scary but fun thing."

Peter began his way back to the apartment. He was thankful for the cool air in his face to help diminish the blush that was creeping up his neck to his ears and cheeks. 

Ned sighed, tsking while shaking his head at his best friend. "I feel like you just need to relax," he dragged out the word, laughing at the end of it. "Overall the rollercoaster's good, right? Sure, it can make you sick, but if you only focus on that then you'll miss the thrill of it all."

"Mhm." Peter had to agree as he swung through the city. "You're right, Ned. I guess I have to try and not be so pessimistic today."

Ned wholeheartedly agreed before he hung up. Both of the best friends planned to meet up later in the day to discuss what could possibly be done about the Flash situation. Peter hoped that they could do another topic change during that time as he was honestly emotionally exhausted over the whole thing for the day. 

Jumping onto his fire escape, Peter quickly threw open the window. He was waiting patiently to get out of his sweaty suit that was clinging to his body, partly because of the skin tight design, the other part being because it was covered with sweat. 

He tossed his mask off to the side, running a hand through his damp hair. He looked up only to freeze in his place, shock in his eyes. 

Caden stared back at him with an expression of betrayal on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cue tears


	24. Tell Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> screaming for two different reasons

"Caden," Peter reached out for the older boy, already feeling him slip through his fingers as Caden turned away from him. 

"You're Spider-Man?" he asked, looking back to Peter with hurt in his blue eyes. Peter would've done anything to shake his head and say it was all a stupid costume, but he couldn't.

"I-I am, but-"

"Were you ever going to tell me?!" Caden turned on him, anger and betrayal behind his words. 

The force of his words made Peter bow his head in shame. It hurt to know that he had hurt Caden in this way, and it hurt even more to think of how he didn't even know the answer to his question. Soon, he was internally kicking himself, wondering how he managed to screw up this badly. 

Caden scoffed, crossing his arms despite the mix of emotions in his eyes. "Should've known," he muttered, shaking his head at Peter. 

Peter lifted his head, looking at Caden's face with tears welling in his eyes. "I-I..." he sighed, his breath coming out broken up which was a sure sign that tears would come sooner than he thought. "Caden, you have to believe me," he pleaded, his heart clenching as Caden stepped away from his outreached hands. "I was going to tell you that one night, but Harper and May they interrupted and..."

"And?" Caden's words were a bitter, angry contrast to Peter's sadness, but both feelings were the same in a way: they were overall disappointed in how everything happened. "And what? You just gave up? You just thought, 'Oh, well, I really tried' and didn't say anything else afterwards?!"

"Caden, please, you have to understand." Peter hated how desperate he sounded, but he would hate himself even more if he just let Caden leave without explaining himself first. "It would've been dangerous for you to know. I couldn't put you through that. I don't know what I would do with myself if it ended up that someone hurt you over my own secret."

"I don't have to understand anything, Peter." Caden's expression hardened, his knuckles white as he gripped Peter's Spider-Man mask from the floor. "All I know is that our relationship was essentially one big lie."

Was. Peter's face fell, and he felt completely defeated as he looked to Caden, trying to communicate his regret through his eyes as Caden continued on. "Just think about it: our relationship started with the Spider-Man coming into my life and giving me an idea of how to ask you out, and it was you all along. You knew I liked you, and you somehow managed to get my best friends involved, too."

"I'm so sorry for leading you through those motions, but Caden I would never do anything-"

"I don't want to hear anymore of this, Peter," Caden sighed. He ran a hand down his face, flinging Peter's mask to the ground once more. He covered his face with his hands, letting out a exasperated scream that made Peter's heart shatter. "How can this even be happening? The Stark internship? Everything about this is just lies upon lies! And, you let this happen!"

"I know," Peter sobbed out, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Caden, I know this is all my fault. I know I look like a horrible person right now, and I know you're upset with me... but I'm still me. I'm still the guy that cares so much about you. That has to count for something."

"Well, it doesn't," Caden replied in a stern voice. Tears began to cascade down his cheeks, and he wiped them away with such force that Peter thought he would leave a mark. 

He finally turned to leave, shaking his head at how his whole day came crashing down all at once. "Goodbye, Spider-Man," he said in a soft angry tone that hit Peter's ears hard. 

Peter's heart dropped, and he grabbed Caden's hand in an attempt to keep him from going. He didn't want anything to be over, he couldn't handle it. He looked like an absolute mess, but he just wanted to take back everything that happened so they could be happy again. 

"I'm Peter. I'm Lion. Caden, just listen to me!" 

Peter was pleading for everything in that moment. He was pleading for the necklace he gave to Caden, for the snow days spent together, for the box full of sweatshirts Caden had given him for Christmas, for all of the things that made them them. And, it still wasn't enough. 

"Peter would never do this to me."

With that, Caden walked out of the bedroom, leaving Peter's hand to fall down limply at his side. He jumped at the slam of the apartment door, wiping away his tears as Caden had before: angrily. 

-

After being picked up by Harper after a long day at work, May was ready to go home and relax with her and Peter and possibly Caden if he was over at the house. Unfortunately, what May came home to was not at all what she expected.

The lights were turned off throughout the apartment, and for a second, May was unsure if Peter was even home. The only thing that gave her a sign he was there was a faint light that lit up a portion of the hallway from the crack under his bedroom door. 

"Hey, genius," May greeted him, chuckling as she saw the outline of him bundled underneath his blanket, his laptop playing videos on his pillow. "Harper's here. I'm a bit surprised that Caden isn't taking over your room like he always is. Do you have any plans tonight?"

As she flicked on his light switch, her face immediately fell when she was met with recent tear streaks on Peter's cheeks. "What's wrong?" she softly asked, hurrying over to hug him. She pulled him in close to her, her shirt instantly getting wet from the tears that were falling down Peter's face.

It took him a minute to get his words out, his throat closed with tears and snot. "Caden and I had a fight, and we broke up," Peter said in between little gasps of air, tears steadily coming out of his eyes. 

"Oh, Peter..." May whispered, rubbing her nephew's back as he continued to sob into her shirt. She pressed a kiss to his head, turning so they could face each other. "I'm gonna get you tissues and a glass of water, alright? Harper had bought me some kind of cake, but I'll bring that too. I figured we can share."

Peter quickly nodded, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. He watched May leave the room, and he sniffled. He shut his laptop that had a queued up playlist of feel good videos that weren't improving his mood at all, looking up to see Harper holding a styrofoam take out box.

"Good day to buy cake, I guess," Harper mused, popping the lid open and holding out a fork to Peter. He let out an unamused breath of air, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. 

"Gross," the woman teased, wrapping an arm around him with a sigh. She dropped the box on his lap, smiling a bit as he dug into the chocolate icing. "I'm sorry about this, Pete. Must've been a pretty bad fight.  Can I ask what it was about?"

Peter swallowed thickly, leaning his head on Harper's shoulder. All of a sudden, he was exhausted from crying for hours. He bit the inside of his cheek, replying through a yawn, "I can't say what happened, but it was really bad." He let out a shaky sigh, offering a smile when May arrived with tissues and water. "I've never seen him like that, and I bet he thought the same exact thing of me. I was a mess."

Harper just nodded, grabbing a fork for herself and eating a bite of the cake in deep thought. May rubbed his back, using Peter's fork to get herself a bit, too. She handed Peter the water which he chugged immediately. 

Feeling May and Harper's hands around Peter made him feel content for probably the first time that day. He leaned into their soothing touch, silently grateful that they didn't pry like they normally would've. They didn't even comment on much which made him thankful in a way. 

He really couldn't explain anymore than what he already revealed. Instead of allowing himself to go down a rabbit hole of that's-how-everything-began-in-the-first-place, Peter slept.

-

Peter and I aren't friends anymore was how Caden answered Tabitha's question Why do you look so depressed?

He spent the rest of the weekend hidden away in his room, curled up under blankets. He only peeked out of the hole he used to breathe fresh air when Jackie and Reese came to visit him, and even then, he didn't talk much about anything.

Going back to school on Monday didn't help life his spirits because then he wasn't able to avoid his problem: Peter. When lunch came up, Jackie and Reese migrated back to their former table without question, sharing looks of concern when Caden lead the way a little too quickly.

Jackie poked at her food on her lunch tray, glancing at Caden who hadn't even begun to eat. She tapped away on her phone, wishing she had Reese's headphones for a more entertaining distraction than texting MJ. 

She called her throat, offering Caden a small smile when he met her eyes. "Um, I was thinking that... Peter's invitation to your birthday celebration still stands."

"What?" Caden and Reese said in unison. They met eyes for a second before going off on their own tangents. Caden repeatedly shook his head, repeating the word no while Reese just stared at Jackie with a look of confusion.

"You heard me," Jackie told them, crossing her arms for emphasis. "You can't keep avoiding each other when what you had was really something. You know that, Giant." She felt a surge of accomplishment when Caden visibly softened at the use of his nickname. "He's still our friend, and you guys can use that as a chance to work things out-"

"Or I could get my heart broken for the second time on my birthday," Caden finished, ending the sentence on a bitter grin. His eyes flicked over to Peter's table, sighing as he saw the group of friends talking just like him and Jackie were.

"Peter would never intentionally hurt you, Caden, alright?" She had started to get a bite to her tone, fed up with Caden's attitude. She watched as Reese slowly took off his headphones, peering cautiously at the two best friends. 

"You weren't there, Jackie. You don't even know what it's about," he mumbled, watching his best friend get angrier by the second.

"Then, tell me!" She slammed her hand on the cafeteria table, causing kids to look their way. Caden jumped back, his eyes wide in reaction to Jackie's outburst. "Tell me what happened," she continued, using a soft but serious tone. "Tell me how Peter wanted to hurt you so badly that he's been over there crying the same exact amount as you, Caden! Are you even hearing yourself right now?!"

She was right. Caden had to admit that even when his mind was full of betrayal and upset emotions towards Peter. Still, there was a part of him that was thinking he could tell Jackie and Reese everything. He could blow Peter's secret because it is what happened that day. But, what good would that even do? How would that make anything that was happening better for them? 

Eventually, Jackie gave him a look before rising from the table. "I love you, Caden, but sometimes you just have to realize you're wrong in this situation. It's okay to be mad, but can you really hold something against someone when they care so much about you?" With that, she walked away from the table, hiking her backpack higher on her shoulders, leaving the cafeteria. 

Caden turned to Reese for some type of an answer. The boy looked shocked to be faced with Caden's relationship rockiness meanwhile he had been watching the ordeal the entire time.

Reese gave him a shrug, moving to put his headphones back on. He suddenly paused in the middle of his movement, looking to Caden out of the corner of his eye. "Was what Peter did really all that bad?" he asked, offering Caden a small smile before listening to his music again.


	25. Happy Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> longing stares and a present

In early April, just days before Caden's birthday, it was a day of silence for Peter's friend group. It was the annual Day of Silence for the LGBT community which Midtown had begun to participate since the previous year. Peter had quickly volunteered to sit at the Spectrum GSA table during his lunch period.

He was mainly hoping to avoid Caden because he couldn't bring himself to look at him for more than a second. He screwed up badly, he knew that. But, he was also angry at himself for not explaining himself quicker. For not immediately texting or calling Caden trying to explain how even though he was completely in the wrong, he wanted to protect his boyfriend and avoid Caden figuring everything out in that way. 

Peter was texting Ned underneath the table he was sitting at in between the two cafeterias. It wasn't the most polite thing to be doing as he sat with stickers, a half a bag of lollipops, and a poster signed by dozens of students in front of him. The lunch period was at its point where everyone was too busy eating to walk around. 

Come over to sign the poster and get a lollipop, Peter typed, tapping his foot anxiously underneath the table. He added quickly, Make sure he doesn't follow you please.

What is he now? My stalker? Ned joked, sending a million shrugging emojis Peter's way. 

C'mon... MJ already signed at the beginning of lunch and didn't stay long. Just get over here and vow to be silent!

Being single has really made you snippy.

Snip, snip. Peter followed that up with a scissors emoji before putting his phone back into his hoodie pocket. 

While joking about it over text was easy, Peter frowned at Ned's message. He hated being single, especially when things ended so horribly. He doubt Caden liked it either when everything went down so close to his birthday. That is if he even bothered to spend a fraction of a second thinking about Peter without wanting to light him on fire or whatever tactic he's use to get the boy permanently out of his life. 

Even if powers essentially got him into a breakup in the first place, he'd beg anyone to let him have the power to time travel. That way he'd be able to not be a horrible boyfriend and person in general. That way they'd still be together.

When Peter looked up to see Jackie. Reese, and Caden following Ned, his jaw hardened. Ned sent Peter an apologetic glance, mouthing a 'Sorry' Peter's way as he signed the poster, grabbing a sticker and lollipop before heading back towards the cafeteria. 

"What exactly does this day represent, Peter?" Jackie politely asked, approaching the table with Reese. 

Caden hung back behind the two, his eyes focused on the stack of stickers. He didn't look at Peter which was expected, but Peter couldn't help but sadly watch him for a few seconds. 

Reese cleared his throat, causing both Peter and Caden to look to him. The two boys caught each other's glance for a quick moment before Caden looked down at his feet.

"Sorry," Peter mumbled, his cheeks flushing as he handed Jackie three stickers to pass around to the group. "Well, this day is essentially a day of silence for the LGBT community. It's where school communities take a vow of silence to highlight how LGBT members have been silenced and erased from societies in the past whether in school or otherwise. It really brings awareness to the bullying, harassment, and other negativity that LGBT people face."

The three nodded their heads almost in unison. Jackie gave her friends the stickers and Peter quickly tapped the poster to draw their attention to it. "You can also sign to take the vow of silence. And, you can even take a lollipop after you sign. That's mainly why everyone's signing anyways."

Jackie and Reese signed the poster, already having stuck their stickers on their shirts. They each grabbed a lollipop before leaving the table, Jackie squeezing Caden's shoulder as they passed him.

Peter watched as Caden slowly peeled his sticker and placed in right in the middle of his shirt. No Spider-Man themed sweatshirt that day. In fact, no spider themed anything since he had found out the identity of who was actually behind the mask. 

The two watched each other while pretending not to, waiting for the other to say something first. Soon, Peter sighed. 

"Are you gonna sign?" he asked, realizing afterwards how emotionless he sounded. He gulped, hesitantly looking up to hand Caden a pen while also looking for his reaction in his face.

Caden only nodded, grabbing the pen as far away from where Peter's fingers held it as possible, scribbling his name next to Ned's. He capped the pen, looking at Peter and wishing he could be the one to sit next to him, offering lollipops to teenagers addicted to sugar while having each other try their favorite flavors. 

A few beats of dead air passed the two before Peter cleared his throat. "Um... Lollipop?" He held open the bag, shaking it to offer one to Caden. 

"Yeah," Caden said softly, reaching in without looking or caring what kind it was. 

"Why did you come up by yourself?" Peter asked slowly, finally meeting Caden's eyes who seemed shocked that they were actually having a conversation. "Seems like you have the whole silent thing covered."

Caden nodded as he played with the plastic that his sticker had been attached to. "I, uh-"

"It's fine," Peter quickly cut him off, half of him not even wanting to hear the answer out of fear that it would be something relationship related. "I shouldn't have asked anyways."

"No, it's okay." Caden rubbed the back of his neck nervously. His thumb subconsciously searched for the chain of his Valentine's Day necklace to play with before he fully realized that he had taken off the necklace right after getting home from Peter's that day. 

He snuck a glance at Peter's wrist, wondering if Peter had even bothered to put back on the bracelet after getting out of his Spider-Man suit. 

"I wanted to," he softly spoke, earning a furrowed brow look from the boy in front of him. "I wanted to come over to see you at the table. It's... I still care about you, Peter. This whole thing- this day is  important to you which I heard from Jackie, so she had to push me in this direction. Sorry if that sounds weird, but yeah."

"Yeah," Peter simply responded, wondering whether he should smile or wander further into his depressive state. He wasn't sure what any of what Caden said meant for them going forward even going forward five seconds in a conversation.

The two stared at each other for a few beats, not saying anything but the same thoughts were going through their heads. 

"I should go finish up lunch," Caden said, the words coming out mumbled as he diverted his eyes from Peter's gaze. He pointed towards the cafeteria, looking at Peter who nodded. 

Peter had begun straightening out the stickers, trying his best to distract himself which he watched Caden leave out of the corner of his eye. 

-

Most of Caden's seventeenth birthday was spent in school, trying his best not to look at Peter whenever he had the chance but failing miserably. Still, he had to remind himself that his friends had been planning an amazing night for a while, and even though he was down, he could use the rest of the weekend to sulk. 

Peter had said a quick happy birthday to Caden as he, MJ, and Ned entered the school, but they didn't talk for the rest of the school day. As the days went on after their breakup, Peter could only feel guilt, and it only intensified on Caden's birthday.

He was supposed to be showering Caden in love and affection on his special day. He was supposed to be giving him gifts and have Caden curled up next to him at all times. It was supposed to be one of the happiest days, but it wasn't starting off that way at all.

Throughout the school day, Peter and Caden's friend group noticed the two always snuck glances at the other. Too quick for the other to notice, but not quick enough that the other four weren't texting each other updates from across the cafeteria.

Later when the group was taking the train to Long Island - the first stop of Caden's birthday extravaganza - the sidelong looks and longing gazes continued. There's enough sexual tension here that we could literally cut it, Jackie texted, shooting the group a wink as MJ shook her head next to her.

The trampoline park place was a lot of fun for everyone. Technically, Peter could swing through buildings all day long, but bouncing on multiple trampolines - even against the walls - was an enjoyable way to spend the night. Despite getting stared at from little kids and a few complaints from the parents, the friends enjoyed themselves, napping on the train ride back with tired smiles. 

"Next stop: Reese's house!" Jackie sang, shaking the boy in excitement as he exited the train. Jackie had been hyping up Reese's house for about a month, telling everyone how they wouldn't believe what the inside of his house looked like.

To say the least, Peter, MJ, and Ned were waiting impatiently as they walked through the streets. They turned the corner, going in the opposite direction of Caden and Jackie's apartment buildings to see much larger penthouse style complexes.

Reese rolled his eyes when he got to his front door. "You're lucky my parents are away for the weekend. They'd force fed you Asian delicacies that you'd cry eating," he told them, unlocking the door to reveal a mansion compared to Peter's apartment. 

Reese shook his head as they stared in awe of the giant marble island in the kitchen, the longest couch they've ever seen, and the TV that took up almost all of the enormous wall it was positioned on.

"Pretty amazing, am I right?" Jackie asked them, proud of an apartment that wasn't even hers. She grinned at Reese, making a face when he didn't return the smile.

"It's beautiful," MJ breathed out. She quickly pointed at the group, eyeing them carefully. "I know beauty is a concept made and marketed by the society we live in, I'm just in awe."

The teens shared an amused look, Peter and Caden locking eyes as the others continued on the Ha household tour. Peter broke their gaze, walking briskly to catch up with the group. 

After an hour of the tour - Reese skimming the rooms while Jackie and Caden told millions of stories of what happened in each room in exact detail - the group settled on the couch. Caden grabbed some of his favorite movies, and he started a movie while Ned was crouched over, admiring Reese's extensive collection.

He picked up a DVD, smiling at the group. "Hey, did you guys ever finish Heathers that one time?" 

With that, Peter and Caden met in another awkward glance, their cheeks identical shades of pink. Jackie quickly nodded, looking back and forth to each boy who bowed their heads in embarrassment.

Caden pressed play on the movie while Ned joined Peter on the couch, mumbling a sorry to him. Peter stared ahead at the enormous TV to avoid even thinking about looking in Caden's direction. He wasn't taking in any part of the movie at all, he was just staring, thinking about what could've been.

After a few more movies, the group split ways. When they found themselves walking in the same direction together, Peter and Caden cursed their friends for having some kind of a plan. MJ and Jackie hanging out together wasn't the moment of realization, but they should've pieced it together when Ned announced he was staying over at Reese's.

Peter held a box in his hands, rhythmically tapping his fingers against the cardboard. It made Caden anxious, he hadn't expected a present or even a happy birthday from Peter until he got a greeting that morning. It seemed like he'd be getting a present, exceeding his expectations a second time.

They walked in silence until they got to the front of Caden's apartment building. Peter lingered by the entranceway, rocking uneasily on his feet. 

"I brought a box of your sweatshirts to Reese's, and I was gonna give them to you there but..." Peter trailed off, meeting Caden's eyes with a shrug. "These are all of them: ones I've borrowed and the others you gave me for Christmas. So, um, Happy Birthday."

He smiled at Peter, holding open the door with his foot. He nodded his head towards the lobby. "Do you wanna come in? It's April but still a little chilly, you know."

Peter bit his lip in thought, finally deciding against the invitation. "I-I don't think I should."

Caden nodded, looking to Peter for what they should do next. When he didn't move, Caden reached to grab the box from him. "Thank you for the gift... If you can even call it that," he said with a chuckle.

He expected Peter to meet him halfway and partly give him the box, but Peter made no movement to do so. When Caden leaned forward to grab the box, Peter having not moved at all, it was then that he realized how close they were to each other. 

Caden held part of the box, his hands resting right below Peter's. The two just stared at each other. Caden's eyes traveled from Peter's dark brown eyes to his lips. Caden could hear himself breathing, that's how quiet everything was around them. Peter had seemingly froze, both of them breathing the same air as they were that close. 

Unknowingly - or perhaps hyper aware of every action he was making but not caring what would happen next - Caden inched closer to Peter. As their lips grazed each other's, Peter pushed the box into Caden's hands. Caden didn't even have the time to object, to push the box back to Peter, back to the Parker's apartment. 

"I'm sorry about that, I don't know..." Caden sighed, rubbing his forehead, "I don't know why I did that. Peter, I'm really sorry."

"It's alright," Peter told him, backing up to leave. "Happy Birthday, Caden."

Caden nodded, forcing a smile onto his face as he watched Peter walk down the street and into the subway. He shifted the weight of the box from his hip to his hands, bringing it into his apartment building.


	26. Everything is Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> secrets get out and stress ensues

After his almost kiss with Caden, Peter Parker had given up. He had completely given up on him and Caden ever being normal again. It was inevitable that they wouldn't work out in one way or another; it was too good to be true.

He had started to become increasingly depressed. It affected everything: his superhero patrols, his homework, his effort in school, and his interactions with everyone around him. The depression brought on a lot of dysphoria which was the best thing to add on top of the pile of his life going downhill. 

Peter threw himself into his own work. He had much bigger concerns than his love life, he had to find a way to stop Flash and whatever plan his group had devised. 

Peter consulted Ned many times over the weeks after Caden's birthday, coming up with ideas and theories on what could fully stop Flash. 

"I just," Peter sighed in the middle of another long phone call, "I give up!" He threw his pen against his notebook, shaking his head at the list of ideas the boys had been compiling. 

Ned sighed into the phone as well, and Peter could hear the exhaustion the action gave off. It was around midnight, and they hadn't come up with a solid plan for hours.

"I can't keep tying up Flash and throwing him to the side, Ned!" Peter muttered, spinning around in his desk chair in an attempt to shake out his nerves. 

Ned snorted, chuckling a bit under his breath. This made Peter partly frustrated, partly too tired to care. "Sorry," Ned replied to Peter's sigh of exasperation. "The way you said that is basically saying you're procrastinating the Flash situation, but also, like, procrastinating Flash just as a person."

Peter shook his head, laughing along with Ned before his eyes settled back onto his notebook. A few beats of silence passed between them before Peter spoke up again. "I hope Tony's got a better plan than we do right now."

"I bet he does," Ned said without hesitation. "If there's anyone without a plan, it's Flash. I mean, he can't keep randomly meeting you with his dysfunctional group forever, you know?"

"And, I can't keep avoiding him forever," Peter mumbled, his eyes drifting from the list to the blue velvet box holding his lion bracelet.

Starting off as a statement only about Flash, Peter realized that it applied to Caden as well. He chewed the inside of his cheek in thought, having to listen closely as he missed half of what Ned was saying.

"...Flash or Caden?" Ned finished, figuring that Peter hadn't heard a word he had said. 

"I don't know," Peter finally groaned, stretching as he stumbled over to his bed. "The Flash thing or the Caden thing really is the question, isn't it?"

As a rhetorical question, he knew what his answer should be, but Peter couldn't tell what the right answer was at all.

-

Peter was ready to throw down his bag into his room and sleep away his problems for a few hours after school, but when May told him that a friend was waiting for him in his room, everything stopped. 

"Another friend," May quickly added upon seeing Peter's face washed of its color. "Not Caden," she whispered, placing an arm around him before turning Peter towards his room. 

Peter ran through a list of every one of his friends that could possibly be there, but he was not expecting Tony Stark to be standing in the middle of his room. 

"Mr. Stark?" Peter said slowly, his eyebrows slightly raised in confusion. He closed the door behind him, slowly walking around as if he was in some type of trouble. And, the several occasions when Tony Stark showed up out of nowhere, Peter was headed to Germany, got his suit taken from him, and was offered a position on the Avengers team. 

"Hey, Peter," Tony greeted him, taking off his sunglasses before sitting in Peter's chair. "May's told me about how you've been depressed these last few weeks."

Peter gulped, scratching the back of his neck anxiously. Out of all the things Tony could've said, he wasn't prepared to be the direct concern so early on in the conversation. He sat down uncomfortably on his bed, fiddling with his hands as he avoided the man's eyes.

"I mean, yeah... I guess I've been feeling pretty bad about, well, everything."

The man in front of Peter put his glasses in his front jacket pocket, leaning his elbows to his knees while holding his head up. "Do you have anything you want to talk about? It might help you to just rant before we get into the Flash stuff." His face was visibly soft, making Peter shrug. 

"I guess that's all where it starts really," Peter said, an edge to his voice.

He continued on to tell Tony the events of meeting. With Flash and his friends, getting off the phone with him, and finding Caden in his room where a war broke out. Peter went on to explain that he was going to tell Caden about him being Spider-Man but was interrupted, he had never meant to manipulate Caden or his friends in a way, and how the break up went down. Finishing up his rant about the almost kiss and having no idea where to even start with the Flash situation, Peter was appreciative at how intently Tony was listening throughout the whole thing.

Peter tilted his head to the side afterwards, expectantly awaiting a reaction from the man instead of a blank stare. Tony cleared his throat, rubbing his hands together, and Peter watched his every movement, his eyes moving as the man sat up straight, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm not going to comment on the things that are troubling you because that's just not my place," Tony started, and Peter felt a little deflated and disappointed at his words. "I will say that if I had a mental breakdown every time I went through something difficult - physically, emotionally, or mentally - I wouldn't be here right now. Take a page out of my book, Peter, and try to relax."

"I can't!" Peter exploded, throwing his hands up in the air. He didn't want to hear how he should relax at that point. He had too many things to go through that relaxing would seem incredibly pointless. He could relax after he found a way to get everything done, and so far, Tony wasn't much of an aid in that. 

Tony sighed, a sympathetic look in his face as he saw how distressed this situation made Peter. "You've gotta, kid, it's not up to us. You have to ease your mind before we're able to devise a plan to outthink these kids. Now, I have a few ideas in mind, but you have to chill out first."

Peter slowly nodded his head, covering his face with his hands. He breathed in and out, wiping his sweaty hands on the toughness of his overly baggy jeans - willing to be a shapeless mess for a week to feel as though his clothes weren't clinging to his ghost of a figure. 

When Peter looked up, he nodded again. He managed to give Tony a fake smile before they delved into a strategy to take down Flash and his crew. 

Soon enough, the two had created charts and lists and everything in between on several pages of Peter's notebook. They listed all of the boys and their powers that were known, going through what seemed like every course of action Peter could take upon meeting them for a final time. 

Tony left when the sun had already set, the time approaching the usual dinner time for the Parkers. With Peter's suit shoved into his briefcase, Tony excused himself from the apartment, saying goodbye to Peter and May.

"I hope you feel better after Mr. Stark's visit," May told Peter softly, kissing him on the cheek. She ruffled his hair, smiling up at him before turning back to the kitchen with a shake of her head. "I'm thinking... pizza for dinner?" 

Peter quickly nodded, laughing at May's glance at the kitchen. He picked up her phone, placing it in her hand before leaving to his own room. "Pizza!" he yelled out to her, giving her a thumbs up. 

-

The next morning was hectic. It didn't help anyone that right as Peter and May were about to leave the apartment, the house phone rang, earning a groan from both of them. 

May got to the phone first which Peter soon realized was a huge mistake on his part. 

"Good morning, Mrs. Parker, sorry to call so early," the woman on the other end of the phone started. May checked the caller ID, shaking her head at another pointless call from the school. "The Midtown school officials were wondering if you know anything about Eugene Thompson's abnormal amount of excused early dismissals this past month. He's almost a junior, and as you know, attendance is very strict these upcoming years. We-"

"I'm sorry to cut you off, but how would I know anything that's happening in this situation?" May was focused on doing so many things at once, yanking her jacket off a hanger from the hall closet, holding the phone between her cheek and her shoulder.

"We were just wondering if you've heard anything from, uh... your nephew, Peter, about where Eugene could possibly be."

"Him and Peter aren't friends," May replied shortly, not particularly a fan of the hesitance before the word nephew. She looked to Peter with a mocking confused expression, rolling her eyes, completely missing how the color left his face entirely.

"Which is exactly why we called you because we figured Eugene might be continuing to harass Peter outside of school despite the strict orders to keep them away from each other inside the building."

May immediately stopped her apartment-wide search for her purse as the words hit her hard. "Excuse me, I'm not sure if I heard you correctly... Harass?"

At the word, May's eyes flicked from the ground to Peter who was watching the conversation with wide eyes. He could tell everything was falling apart, his plan was foiled, and everything was coming crashing down. 

"Yes, I assume you're aware of the insistent threats Eugene had directed towards Peter since the beginning of the school year?" the woman continued on as if the two were having a nonchalant conversation while May was at a loss for words. "After it was brought to our attention, we took care of the problem and devised an exact plan to keep them away from each other."

"If you don't mind me asking," May's wide eyes settled on Peter who was folded up in his seat at the table, "when was this plan decided? I'm sorry, my memory's not like it used to be." 

After a lengthy pause, the woman responded. "I see in our files that Peter was sent an email about the school-wide plan around January 8th. You may want to check with him about that."

"I-I will, thank you so much." May's voice was shaky and unstable at that point, her knuckles white as she gripped the phone tightly. "And, no. We haven't seen or heard anything from Eugene Thompson outside of school."

She quickly hung up the phone, placing the phone on the kitchen counter with a slam, whipping her head around to face Peter. 

"What the hell was that, Peter?" she asked, the usual May Parker humor stripped from her voice. 

Peter shook his head, looking at May with fearful eyes. "I-I didn't want you to worry about anything!" he insisted with a shaky voice. "I didn't know they would call the house!"

"Thought you would have a foolproof plan, huh?" May questioned, making Peter now his head in shame. "Why wouldn't you come to me if you were being bullied and harassed for months, Peter?" 

Her raised voice made tears spring into Peter's eyes, and he replied in a choked tone. "I just... I don't know. I thought I had everything under control, okay?" 

"Yeah, and now everything is falling apart," May snorted, shaking her head with a long sigh. "I only care about your safety, Peter, I always have. I just wish you would've thought to talk to me about it so we could've worked through it together."

"May, can we just not talk about this right now?" Peter asked softly, reaching for his backpack off of the chair across from him. 

"No!" May yelled, the crack in her voice breaking Peter's heart and freezing his actions, his hand dropping back to his side. "Peter, this is serious, and I'm not sure if you quite get it yet. Let me break it down for you: Ben and I tried our best to stop those little assholes at your school, we went to the school and everything, and instead of telling me about things getting bad at school again, you kept it from me for months! What if you had gotten hurt? I wouldn't know what to do with myself! You just don't think sometimes, Peter!"

"Don't yell at me!" Peter sobbed out, wiping his tear streamed face with his arm. "Everything's fine, May, alright?! The school has it handled. The plan has been working. Don't you know that I have my own stuff going on? I fucked everything up with Caden, and you know that, but here you are, yelling at me for something I tried to make easier for you."

May lowered her voice, and Peter found it even worse that he felt the urge to tell her to continue yelling at him. "You could've gotten seriously hurt, that's what I'm concerned about. It's what I'll always be concerned about. I don't care about the Caden thing right now, all I want to hear is what plan your school came up with to fix this mess."

"I deleted the email so even I wouldn't be able to find it," Peter admitted softly, not daring to raise his eyes to see May's reaction to that. "Can I explain it to you after school, I really need to leave now so I won't be late. They won't let me in if I'm gone for a long time, May."

He wasn't sure if the urgency in his voice reached May, but he needed to be at school. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something Flash related happened in school and he wasn't there to at least attempt to stop him and his group.

May ignored him, crossing her arms. "Peter. The plan."

"I'm not sure who exactly is operating the plan, but it's basically that Flash isn't allowed to be near me under any circumstances at all during school. Including after school activities. If he's caught speaking about me or harassing me with his friends, I'm pretty sure he'll be expelled."

May nodded once, apparently satisfied with the explanation before grabbing her jacket and purse that Peter held out to her. He reached for his bag again, but May stopped him again. 

"You're not going to school today, Peter," she said finally, grabbing her keys from her coat pocket. 

"May, are you seriously not seeing how unfair that is?" Peter asked, throwing his hands up in the air. His voice was raised, but it was hardly enough to depict how he felt internally. His heart was racing, and he was surprised his anxious heart beat hadn't burst out of his chest.

"Peter, you can make up anything you need to tomorrow." May shook her head, her voicing sounding exhausted from the screaming match the two had just finished up. 

"May-" 

"Just stop, alright? You're staying home, and that's it." She shook her head again, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Never thought I'd have to fight you on that."

Peter groaned loudly, waiting until May left the house to slam his own bedroom door. He dug into the back of his closet, surprised that he so easily found his old makeshift Spider-Man suit. 

"May never said you couldn't go to school," Peter spoke to his suit before changing into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don’t worry everything will be not falling apart shortly


	27. Bathroom Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> he knows what to do

At 11:58 our plan will go into action, Flash texted the group chat consisting of his team of not-so-conventionally made superheroes. 

He didn't wait for any responses before putting his phone back into his pocket. He didn't have to wait for the boys to respond because he knew they would in the period leading up to their master plan. It was the main perk of being the leader of the group, Flash didn't have any concerns about them not doing what he expected. In a way, they all labeled the level of power as a well maintained dictatorship if there was such a thing.

At 11:50, within a minute of each other, all of the boys met up in the second floor bathroom. They had a perfect plan without realizing it: five different teachers sighing as they wrote five different passes for the bathroom. 

"It's an emergency!" Sean insisted, throwing his hands in the air when his teacher sighed loudly, scribbling a signature on the blank pass.

"I really have to go," Ashton pleaded with his teacher, scrunching up his face in a pained expression. 

"Just go," a study hall teacher waved Kyle away, the boy grinning. 

"Try not to go when I'm in the middle of a lesson next time, hmm?" Quinn was told, eyeing the teacher cautiously as he pulled his bag onto his back. His desk mate gave Quinn a questioning look before turning her attention back to the class. 

Flash checked his phone, shaking his head as the boys rushed into the bathroom, one after the other. "Took you guys long enough. Sean sent the text he was coming at 11:45... it took you all five minutes to get here?"

There were mumbled apologies around the circle that the boys had formed to face Flash. He waved a hand at the group of boys, instantly silencing them. 

"At least you brought your stuff." Flash could give them that compliment, gesturing to the their backpacks. He gave them an approving nod, and they got to work changing into their suits. 

By the time they had found their plan to be perfect, all of the boys had morph suits of their own to match Flash's. Flash rubbed his temples as they changed their suits, feeling that a vision would be coming soon from his sudden headache. 

He wasn't surprised that he was right. Rainbow colored sparks of electricity appeared in his mind and disappeared quickly as he blinked away the colors.

"Sean, you know what to do, right?" Flash spoke to Sean who was struggling to fit his suit over his undershirt. Flash smacked his hand against his forehead, thinking that he should assign someone else to cause the distraction between the lunch periods.

Sean hurriedly stripped his undershirt off, situated his suit, and turned to Flash as he was breathing heavily. "Yeah," he replied with upturned lips, a ghost of a smile showing. "I've got this."

"You better." 

"Or else Flash will beat your ass," Quinn said in a joking manner. When Flash turned and glared at him, he quickly stopped his quiet chuckling, focusing entirely on adjusting the night vision sensors on his head.

Sean grabbed the wire from Flash, looking out of the bathroom door cautiously before making his way to the basement. 

Thanks to the AV club, Sean had access to the school's electricity panel where one move would be able to cause a school wide blackout. He gripped Flash's suit and wire in his hands, bringing them closer to the panel. 

He spotted an outlet, and the bell ringing throughout the school was his signal to plug the USB wire into it. He attached the loose ends to both Flash's suit and his own, bracing himself for the amplified impact it could cause him. 

The result was a mess of electric sparks shooting all over the room, and Flash had quickly texted him that the lights were flickering and even shattering throughout the floor from what he could hear. 

Sean backed away from the panel, creeping up the stairs leading back into the school, listening to racing footsteps and screams from students. He smirked, the upturned lip breaking out into a full grin as he sensed the distinct smell of smoke and narrowed in on the crackle of fire in the building. 

Everything was going according to plan.

-

After leaving in his old Spider-Man suit, Peter stayed by the school, trying to figure out the best way to enter without causing too much of a scene. 

If something bad happened, it wouldn't make sense to anyone why Spider-Man would be randomly breaking into and checking up on Midtown unless he knew of what was to come. Then, it wouldn't just be a battle with Flash, but it would be a battle to clear his own name, insisting that he had no idea of what horrible things had been planned to destroy the school.

Peter circled the school a bunch of times, scaling the building to try and find the least noticeable entrance. At the back of the school, he found an air duct that he couldn't hear anything through. As he pried it open, he figured he could be either jumping into a room full of kids taking a test or an empty classroom. Thankfully, it was the latter, and he pushed aside a ceiling tile to land softly on the ground. 

It was nearing the start of lunch which Peter notes as he checked both the school clock and his phone. Underneath he wall clock, his eyes widened at the sight of a mini fridge. Teachers would be coming into the classroom he was in, and he had less than a minute to decide what to do. 

The bell rang as he was climbing back into the air duct, shaking his head at himself for the poorly thought out idea. Then, his eyes widened for a different reason as the ringing bell in between periods wasn't enough to drown out the screaming from students and from what Peter could smell, a fire. The lights flickered throughout the hallways, and Peter could hear bulbs shattering left and right. 

He quickly tossed aside the ceiling tile, making his way out into the hallway. He stepped back as hundreds of students were running in opposite directions to find the nearest exit. 

Everyone was in too much of a panic to notice him, and soon enough, Peter's webbing was clinging onto the ceiling as he swung through the hallways.

He accidentally located where he thought the fire had been started as he smelled smoke closest to the basement. Personally, he didn't know the basement very well since the dusty scary house vibe wasn't where Caden and Peter decided to make out like so many of their peers did. 

He pushed his way to the school's electricity panel which was sparking multicolored electricity, lighting up the small area around it. Peter didn't get too close, but he knew from the city wide blackout that this was Flash's doing. He shook his head, ready to leave to actually find the group of boys. They couldn't be far from the scene. 

Peter's phone buzzed in his pocket before quietly playing "Girls Like Girls." It was Jackie. He tossed his phone in his hands before quickly answering so it didn't go to voicemail. 

"Peter." It wasn't Jackie. Well, it was her number, but Peter's heartbeat quickened when Caden's voice greeted him. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Peter exhaled heavily, clearing his throat before continuing. "Why, what's happening? May made me stay home from school today. Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," Caden admitted with a breathy tone. "There was this explosion or something, and then the lights flickered in the school. And- And, now there's some kind of fire. I honestly have no idea what's going on."

"Are you guys safe? Why are you calling from Jackie's phone?"

"We're all fine, yeah." Peter could hear voices of his friends in the background of the call, and Caden was responding, chuckling a bit. "My phone's in my locker, and I couldn't get to it. I called Tabitha and then you. I needed to know how you guys were."

"Oh." Peter's heart melted. It was moments like these where he hated himself for messing everything up. He couldn't feel the same affection for Caden without it being paired with hate towards himself. 

"You know I have to see what's happening at the school then, right?" Peter told him quietly, his voice a little shaky. He wanted to take it back when Caden hadn't answered for an entire minute, every second more heartbreaking like they were fighting all over again.

"I know, but I don't like it," Caden replied, sadness and honesty entwined with his words. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Please be safe, alright?" 

Although, Peter had to strain to hear him, Caden whispering quieter than anyone he knew, the feeling behind the words wasn't lost. "I will," Peter promised, smiling into the phone.

The two hung up, neither of them wanting to, but Peter had to continue his search for the team of boys. 

The school was nearly empty by the time Peter left the basement. Smoke filled the hallways, and glass was splayed across the floors like someone had dumped a bucket of water over the school, droplets of glass everywhere. 

As he rounded the corner of a set of lockers, Peter's phone buzzed again. No ringtone though. His brows furrowed at a text from Tony Stark appearing on his home screen.

Bathroom. First floor. By English classrooms I believe. I heard kids reciting Shakespeare as they escaped the school.

Peter laughed quietly to himself. He turned around, swinging down a flight of stairs, making his way to the bathroom next to his AP Lang classroom.

A flashback to when he met up with Happy in the bathroom on the second floor. He figured the Avengers had something with bathrooms even though they were probably the least private rooms in a high school.

"Hey, kid," Tony greeted Peter, opening up his briefcase in a hurry. He made a face at Peter's old suit he had on, shoving the more pristine suit into his arms. "Take off those pajamas, you can't fight them in that. You need your actual suit."

Peter did as he was told, meeting Tony outside of the bathroom stall in less than a minute. "Mr. Stark... I have to say, I'm a li-"

"No." Tony looked at him intensely, holding both of his shoulders, forcing Peter to look him in the eyes. "Even if you think you can't do it, your suit knows. Remember the plan, Peter. I made the modifications, and everything's working perfectly. You should be fine. Don't hesitate to have your suit lady Karen take over for a bit, alright?"

Peter just nodded, still absorbing everything the man was throwing at him. Tony gave him a smile, placing Peter's old suit in place of his newer one in his briefcase.

"Good luck, Spider-Man."


	28. Surprise?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

Meeting Flash for the third time had more of an emphasis to it. Maybe it was the saying third time's a charm, but Peter was leaning more towards the fact that something had really happened. Something serious. It didn't just involve random city goers either, he cared about his friends in the school. The fact that they were scared made him ever the more ready to get this over with.

He could hear shuffling on the second floor of the school, and after saying goodbye to Tony, that's where he headed. 

"Activate soundproofing?" Karen asked him, startling him a bit. Peter quickly nodded, adding a quiet yes, and he continued on his way towards the boys.

Peter picked up speed when the voices of the boys got louder. He found himself by the second floor boys' bathroom, and he peered inside cautiously. He was surprised that Tony could come up with an entire soundproofing suit ability overnight.

Peter walked into the bathroom, careful to not be seen by any of the boys. Flash seemed to be going through a run through of their plan despite it already being well into action. 

Peter spotted Kyle in his blue morph suit costume-like suit which matched Flash's. Peter shot out a web and pulled him towards the other side of the bathroom, tying him up and sticking his hand to his body. 

All eyes were on Peter, and the boys sneered at him. "How the hell did you even get up here without being heard?" Flash pointedly looked at Sean while asking the superhero in front of him.

Peter shrugged, looking behind him to Kyle before back to Flash and the other boys. "Guess you guys aren't as good as you thought."

Sean pushed ahead to be in front of Flash, fuming while the others stayed far back from the superhero. "That's not true! I can hear Kyle's breathing from here! You're just doing something with your fancy suit, but you can't fight fairly."

Peter scoffed, shaking his head. "I can fight fairly," he informed them. "Karen, turn off the soundproofing ability please." 

Peter's lips curved into a smile as the boys were shocked into silence. He demonstrated the soundproofing legitimacy by tapping his hands along the tile wall and jumping a few times. He bowed as if he had just performed a show stopping performance then pointed to Kyle on the ground.

"Just so you know, your friend over there is draining all of his energy by himself. No Spider-Man tricks or anything like that. On a totally unrelated note, were you guys aware of the fact that a healing type of ability requires a lot of energy from the person's body? So, you can only imagine how it's affecting him with no energy to gain back."

Flash sneered at Peter who crossed his arms with a smile. The others boys looked a mixture of concern and shock, and Peter could tell they were resisting the urge to check up on Kyle. 

"Are spiders able to see in the dark?" Quinn questioned with a smirk. With that, he flicked the lights off in the bathroom, the boys running from Peter in all different directions. 

It didn't help Peter that the busted light bulbs caused the hallway to be very dark. The clouds that were overcast in the sky aided Flash's plan to make the school as dark as possible. 

Tony and Peter had already thought this mess through, though. So, when Quinn ran around the hallways, banging on lockers all around Peter as some way to intimidate him. Peter could see him perfectly. 

He let Quinn continue on his joyride for a few minutes, even allowing himself to be pushed over by the boy a few times. 

Getting tired of the whole ordeal, Peter swung over Quinn, watching out of the corner of his eye as the boy followed him to the bathroom. 

Peter heard scuffs of shoes going up and down stairs, eyeing Flash and Sean as they ran down the staircases, making noise, then running back up the same staircase. 

Quinn smiled as he had Peter stuck against a wall. "You just cornered yourself, Spidey. I thought you were smart." He shook his head, laughing at the superhero.

Peter smiled underneath his mask before widened his eyes, a flashlight like beam coming out of his mask's eyes. Quinn groaned in pain, holding his eyes against the night vision filters on his suit, and he backed away from Peter.

As Quinn was blinking hurriedly - more from the shock of intensity of the light then out of pain - Peter cornered him next to his twin. He tied Quinn up next to Kyle, attaching Kyle's hand to Quinn's chest. They would both be drained of energy in no time, and Peter left them in the bathroom. 

Sean was the next boy to stop based on Tony and Peter's plan. It was then possible to sneak up on him and around him with the soundproofing technology which Peter found solace in.

Turning the soundproofing feature on, Peter snuck around the school trying to locate any of the three remaining boys in the group. Peter spotted Sean, swinging into him, throwing a metal pellet into an abandoned classroom, and pushing him into it.

Tony and Peter figured that although Sean had enhanced senses, there was nothing to be enhanced considering the odorless has of carbon monoxide. Of course, Peter didn't want to kill anyone, but he did have to make sure Sean wouldn't be able to interfere with the final part of his plan. 

For a few minutes he watched the boy get increasingly tired as he laid on the floor, the gas filling up the classroom. When he started to close his eyes, Peter lifted him out of the room and even out of the school. He laid him down outside of the building near the dumpsters, firming locking the door behind him. 

As Peter turned around he smacked into Ashton's chest. Peter quickly backed away, into the door that he had just shut and locked, and he saw Flash a little ways down the hallway.

"I think it's our turn to play fair," Ashton told Peter, a wicked smile on his lips. 

Peter quickly shot a web towards the ceiling, swinging out of the way of Ashton's heat vision that attacked the door for a few seconds. Peter swung up to the second floor and eventually found himself heading up to the roof of the school.

As the two boys took longer to get up to the roof, Peter looked over the side of the building to see students, teachers, and staff members crowded outside near the entrance of the school. Police officers and firemen raced into the building, speaking into their radios and carrying oxygen tanks. 

All Peter could think about was how horrible this could've been if he wasn't able to defend his school. It's better that they're fighting me instead of hurting innocent people, Peter thought to himself. He tried to scan the crowd for any of his friends, but he only heard a collective gasp of the crowd as he turned his head to see the two boys barreling up the staircase. 

Peter hurriedly jumped around Flash, shooting out a web to throw Ashton to the other side of the roof before he could activate his power again. The three kept this routine going for a few minutes, Peter trying to avoid both Flash and Ashton, and he could tell the two were draining themselves of the only energy they had.

Peter leapt from the school to a building close to it, narrowly missing Ashton's attempts to burn him. As Peter looked behind him at the boys while he was swinging in the air, he shot webbing, aiming for Ashton's eyes so he couldn't attack anyone else. 

Then, he heard a scream of pain. 

The next thing he knew, he was falling through the air after crashing into the side of the apartment complex, one web shooter completely busted.

The landing could've been worse, though. He fell next to bags full of office trash, shredded up documents softening his crash down. 

Watching the entire thing happen from the ground, Caden held his breath. While everyone raced every which way, trying to get to the roof to help the boys, Caden's mind was solely focused on Peter. 

Caden ran towards the maze of buildings where Peter could've landed. His friends widened their eyes at him, Jackie reaching out to grab him back but the fabric of his shirt slipped through her fingers. 

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jackie yelled at Caden's back. She immediately started going after him, looking behind her at her group of friends. "We have to make sure this kid doesn't get himself killed!" 

The crowd was too thick - full of crying teachers and stressed out law enforcement. Jackie and the group managed to push through some of the people, but they eventually lost sight of Caden, heading towards the area where Spider-Man fell. 

When he finally found Peter, Caden was out of breath, but he still raced over to Peter's side. He pulled him into the back of some storage space, away from any immediate stares. 

"Peter," he whispered frantically, kneeling next to him. He repeated the boy's name a little louder, maneuvering him so his head was leaning against the wall beside the door. His heart was pounded faster than it ever had been when the two would look at each other with loving eyes; it was different because Peter was seriously hurt. 

He peeled back Peter's mask so he had a good view of his face. Peter's suit was singed around some areas, none on his mask specifically but some were close to the area. Peter had smarting bruises along his face which Caden gently rubbed his thumb over, stopping when Peter scrunched his eyes tightly.

"Caden?" Peter croaked without opening his eyes, lifting his hand to touch Caden's that was stroking his cheekbone. "Are you okay?"

Caden couldn't decide whether to gasp or laugh, so he settled on a scoff that melted into a chuckle. "Am I okay?" He shook his head at Peter, his grin growing when Peter opened his eyes with an identical smile. "I'm not the one fighting people through burning buildings!"

"No burning building," Peter corrected, laughing along with Caden. "A few fires, and one gas leak that may or may not have been caused by me."

"Are you seriously okay, though?" 

Still chuckling under his breath, Peter nodded, offering Caden a thumbs up. "It'll take a bit for the healing powers to kick in, but it's all good."

The laughing slowly died, and their grins faded. They looked at each other with eyes full of all different emotions. Peter removed Caden's hand from his face, entwining their fingers instead.

Peter took a deep breath, his voice shaky and uneven. "Caden, I am so sorry. About everything. I'm sorry I never told you about me being Spider-Man, and I never meant to manipulate you and Jackie and Reese in that way. I just wanted to keep you out of danger - which you're in right now, by the way. And..."

"And...?" Caden squeezed Peter's hand with a minuscule smile, and it was enough for Peter to continue on with his apology. 

"And, I feel this responsibility to apologize to who is actually behind the mask. I know you've idolized Spider-Man for some time, and I thought that by the time I told you, you'd be disappointed that it wasn't someone you thought it was going to be. That it's been just Peter all along."

Caden shook his head quickly, smiling at he looked down at their tangled up fingers. "You've never been just Peter to me."

After a shared smile between the two, Caden spoke up. "I'm sorry that I was so stupid, and it was such a crazy overreaction. As much as I tried to stay mad at you, I understood what you were trying to do, protecting me and our friends and everything. After I said all those things... I didn't know how to take them back if I even could." He paused, his lips upturning into a small grin. "And, I'm not sure how I could ever be disappointed that the guy I really like also happens to be one of the kindest and most compassionate people in the city. I am concerned about you getting hurt more than anything now, but I guess that comes with the job."

"Yeah," Peter blew out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding until then. He chuckled, scratching the side of his bruised face. "It's not all fun." 

They shared a laugh, and as they looked at each other, Peter had to ask Caden about where they stood. "I know where you were coming from, Caden. Are we all forgiven now?"

"You mean, are we still kinda broken up?" he responded to Peter's question with another question, his voice soft and whispery. 

Peter nodded only to furrow his brows as he watched a smile take over Caden's face. 

"I can't exactly throw away my entire wardrobe over some argument," he told Peter, inching closer to him. "And, I've already forgiven you, so I guess there's your answer, Spidey."

"Please don't start with that," Peter groaned, shaking his head. The wide grin on his face told a different story, though, and he looked to Caden with blush dusted cheeks.

Peter attempted to move closer to Caden, but he was too weak, unable to move much of his body without wincing in pain. Caden quickly intervened, stopping Peter from moving by leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips. 

Peter moved his other hand from the ground to the back of Caden's neck, pulling him as close as they could get without Peter hurting himself more. 

The two broke apart with wide eyes after hearing a loud gasp from behind Caden. The older boy turned to see all of his friends standing in another doorway of the storage unit, gaping at him. 

"I saw Caden kissing Spider-Man!" Jackie sang, a shocked grin taking over her face. 

Caden faced them with a blush creeping onto his entire face and neck, eventually looking down at his hands to avoid the stares. He felt Peter's arm on his as he heard the boy move over so their friends could get a good look at him. 

If their friends were shocked that Caden was kissing a superhero, they were dumbfounded at the thought that Peter Parker was actually said superhero. 

Peter laughed at their expressions. He smiled at Ned who gave him a thumbs up, and he rolled his eyes upon seeing how unimpressed MJ was to the discovery taking place in front of her. 

"Surprise?"


	29. Annoying Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end: part one

Peter and Caden were bombarded with questions of all kinds. All the while they watched their friends with amused grins. Caden wrapped an arm around Peter, leaning against the wall next to him as questions were fired at them.

"You're Spider-Man?!"

"Is that why you've been in love with Spider-Man this entire time?"

"You buy your boyfriend's merch? Kiss-ass."

"Are you alright? Ugh, the bruises..."

"How did this even happen to you, Peter? I mean, I'm assuming this isn't just a really amazing costume."

"How would it feel to kiss through the mask?"

"Please introduce us to Tony Stark. I'd go straight for that man in a heartbeat."

"What happened at the school?"

"How long have you known about this, Caden?"

"Have you guys done any role play with the suit?"

"Who were those guys in the suits up there?"

With that question, Peter's smile faded, and he forced himself up from the ground, wincing in pain. "Do you guys know who screamed?" he asked the group in a frantically, pulling his mask over his face. 

They all shook their heads, looking at one another with the same confused, slightly frightened expression. Peter took one look at their reactions and swung his way up to the top of the nearest building despite their screams of concern. 

Once he was on the rooftop of the school, he saw an even larger crowd than before. Police officers spoke in hushed voices to paramedics, and ambulances were parked outside of the entrance of the school. Crying people were everywhere, people quickly wiping away tears with their hand as if they were the only one sobbing in a crowd of strangers. 

The sight made Peter's heart sink. He spotted a familiar figure in the crowd, racing to Tony's side as the students parted for the superhero. 

"What's happening?" Peter asked in a scared whisper. The dull pain in the back of his head was suddenly forgotten as he focused on the task at hand, trying to rack his brain to see if he could remember anyone particularly getting hurt.

Tony had to shake students off from his Iron Man suit, grasping Peter's shoulder and leading him into the school so they could have privacy. Tony opened up his suit so Peter could see his face as he spoke. As Peter lifted his mask and saw the set look on Tony's face, he regretted wanting to figure out the aftermath of the boys. 

"It's Flash," Tony told Peter the news in an emotionless voice, nodding his head after Peter didn't react much. "Instead of hitting you with those burning hot lasers, Flash moved in front of that Ashton kid and was struck. That's the scream you heard. Ashton is pretty broken up about it, too, because Flash has a serious burn across his face."

"Oh my God," was all Peter could say. He swallowed harshly, shaking his head. 

"Flash kept screaming at the paramedics that he couldn't do anything power-wise which freaked them out a bit, but it means that I guess this worked out in a way. Hopefully all of the memories he took from people will be returned, but no one can tell for sure until there's testing done."

Peter bit his lip, replaying hundreds of memories in his mind of Flash and his entourage harassing him and following him home. 

"I'm not telling you this so you'll feel sorry for him, I'm just letting you know," Tony hastily added, placing a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder.

"No matter how horrible it is," Peter nodded at Tony, feeling the urge to cry for a reason that he couldn't pinpoint, "he deserved it."

Tony brought Peter into a hug, the boy silently letting out his tears. When they broke apart, Peter looked around before wiping his eyes, swiping each hand underneath his eyes, shaking his tears off. 

"What happened to the others?" 

Peter looked over Tony's shoulder and his own as if expecting to see the four boys waiting for him to notice them. Tony centered his attention, waving a hand in front of Peter's face with a gentle smile. 

"I'm taking them to S.H.I.E.L.D." 

As Tony went on with what would happen to the boys, he watched Peter get a message, and the boy's attention was lost entirely from the superhero conversation at hand. He shook his head, pushing down Peter's phone from his face.

Peter looked up, a deep blush spread on his cheeks. Tony spoke before he could start to make an excuse. "Now that you know what happened, how about we both go and get changed? It's been a long day. I have the clothes you packed just for this kind of an emergency - even though that's putting it on a pedestal-"

"Yeah, let's just go to the bathroom," Peter loudly spoke over him, walking ahead of the man down the hallway. 

Once changed into his Peter styled clothes again, the boy walked out of the bathroom, meeting Caden in the hallway with a wide grin.

The older boy furrowed his brows, a crease forming between them that emphasized his confusion. He reached out to grab Peter's hand, entwining their fingers, his confused expression quickly replaced with a ghost of an adoring smile. 

"What are you so smiley about?" Caden asked, squeezing Peter's hand a little.

Peter's eyes crinkled around the corners, holding the boy's hands in his own with the same smile. "I have someone I want you to meet."

Caden took on his confused expression all over again before his eyes widened at who walked out of the bathroom, the man waving a bit to Peter. 

Tony Stark was exactly like he was on all the science magazine covers. His hair, his blazer, his iconic sunglasses. Everything was how Caden thought he'd be like down to his half smile when he looked to Caden gaping at him. 

"Caden, I assume?" Tony asked him, chuckling when Peter nudged the boy next to him with a sheepish grin. "Peter's told me all about you. Isn't it fun to be dating an intern of mine?"

Caden slowly nodded, shutting his mouth, not yet able to form coherent sentences. Peter gripped onto his hand, his cheeks red in embarrassment as Tony laughed at him. Soon, Caden got the message, and began his shaky introduction. 

"Tony Stark, I-I can't believe this!" Caden exclaimed, reaching his hand out to shake the man's outreached hand. "I'm, like, completely freaking out right now. You've always been one of my biggest role models, I look up to you in so many ways. And, hi. I'm Caden Young."

Tony nodded, firmly shaking his hand. He took off his sunglasses, smiling at the boy. "Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it. So... how'd you enjoy the fight?"

"You mean what just happened out there?" Caden pointed up to the ceiling, with wide confused eyes as to why Tony Stark would be making light of such a situation. "I think the boys were amateurs; they didn't know how to fully control their powers. But, it was scary to watch someone fall off of a building and crash hard. I'm just glad Peter is okay."

Tony nodded, taking in everything Caden was saying with an impressed glint in his eyes. He looked to Peter, winking at him. "You have a good one here, Peter. Don't mess it up." He warned him with a pointed glance, one side of his mouth lifting into a half-smile. 

Caden squeezed Peter's hand tightly, his grip making his knuckles white. When Tony shifted his eyes over to him, Caden only blushed harder at one of his idols praising him. 

"You're a very intelligent kid, you know that?" Tony started, grinning at Caden. "Now, I didn't tell Peter this because it wasn't planned, but I have an offer for you. I didn't want this to be a study of sorts, but once results are in from the boys and their exact powers and whatnot, I'd like you to come to Stark Towers to further discuss how they exactly obtained their powers and how they used them to their advantages. Only if you'd like to, Caden, I don't want to force anything upon you."

By the time Tony was finished, Caden and Peter were both looking at the man with wide eyed expressions. Peter excitedly gave Caden a smile, tugging his sweater for him to accept Tony's offer. Meanwhile, Caden was in complete shock. 

He still didn't fully process what he was getting himself into when he stammered out an acceptance. "Of course I- I'd love to meet with you and share my thoughts on the whole thing! Wow! This all means so much to me. Thank you, Mr. Stark."

Tony just gave the two a knowing smile, his phone ringing as he started to walk away. As he lifted his phone to answer, he looked over his shoulder to say a final goodbye to Caden.

"I'll be keeping in touch, Caden. And, who knows? Maybe you'll get the opportunity to be an actual intern for me..." 

Leaving Caden opened mouth and in shock again, smiling until his eyes crinkled at the edges, Tony waved farewell to the couple. 

Once Caden was sure Tony had rounded the corner of the hallway, the man well into his conversation with a woman named Pepper, he turned to Peter with the biggest smile. He shook Peter around a little, practically jumping in place at the news he had just gotten from Tony Stark himself.

"Wow! I just thought he was gonna come out here and say hi and be done with it but," Peter paused, the expression on his face equal to Caden's wide smile and bright, happy eyes, "woah."

"If you told him to do that... just don't tell me, it's too amazing to be true." Caden looked to Peter, pressing a kiss on his cheek.

Peter brought him into a snug hug, laying his head on Caden's chest. They stood in silence for a few beats, Peter's nose full of the familiar, comforting smell of his boyfriend. "I didn't tell him to do any of that. Maybe you're just smart and charming."

Caden smiled widely into Peter's hair, kissing the top of his head before pulling away from the hug. 

-

Peter and Caden got off of the subway, walking leisurely to Caden's apartment building. Tabitha had traveled with them to their stop, continuing on the train with her friends after every parent was done processing the fact that no one was in danger anymore. Everyone - both parents and children included - was especially glad for that statement. 

May was more than happy to hear Peter telling her that he was safe and sound with Caden. She said they'd talk when he was home, agreeing to let him go to Caden's because of what had effected everyone at school. He needed to be there for his friends, and she understood that more than anything. 

As they walked in sync with one another, Peter cautious of leaving the usual inches of space in between them, Caden reached out to hold his hand. 

Peter blinked at him, almost stopping for a second to process the small action. The hair on the back of his neck stood up straight despite it being early May. He looked around them, waiting for lingering eyes or stares to instantly begin. Caden squeezed his hand lightly, bringing Peter's gaze back to his blue eyes. 

"I'm coming out to my parents. Today. Like, right now." 

Peter was taken aback by a simple hand holding, so to hear Caden declare that in a regular speaking voice, he had to admit that he was pleasantly surprised. 

"Really?" Peter asked, a growing smile on his face despite the shock Caden could hear in his voice. "I didn't want to force you into anything by asking if we were getting back together if that's what you think, Argo. Are... Are you comfortable about all of this?"

"Lion... Peter... I want to do this." Caden said those five words in such conviction that Peter had never heard in the boy's voice before; that's when Peter knew that Caden was determined to get over this hurdle with his family. "I don't want to hide us anymore. Especially now when we're mending everything and we're better than ever." He tilted his head at Peter as they crossed the street to his apartment complex. "Are you okay with this happening right now?"

Peter pushed down a laugh, and he lifted their entwined hands to press a kiss to the back of Caden's hand. "Are you kidding me? I'm so proud of you for getting this far. I'll be there with you every step of the way."

"Good," Caden breathed out. 

And emotion flickered over Caden's face for a split second - Regret? Anxiousness? Relief? Panic? Peter couldn't tell. Then, they walked into the elevator, smiling at each other as they squeezed in next to a couple and their baby.

That elevator ride seemed to be the quickest Caden had ever experienced. It always seemed to drag on whenever one of his elderly neighbors would start conversations about college with him, but he figured since he had the weight of impending doom on himself, everything would be lightning fast, leaving him no time to process. 

Caden was shaking from his pent up nerves as he tried to unlock his apartment door. Peter placed a comforting hand on his, taking the key and unlocking the apartment door. He shot Caden a wide grin of encouragement, mouthing You can do this.

Although Caden was confident as they walked into his apartment building, once the two were inside his apartment and his parents were right there, he wished they had worked later that day. 

"Hey, Mom. Dad," Caden greeted them with a smile. He looked over to Peter quickly, the boy's bruised face fully healed, offering Caden a grin. "Peter's here. I know I should've told you he was coming when Tabitha was on the phone with you guys, but can he stay a while?"

"Of course," his mother answered, her gentle blue eyes lighting up when her gaze shifted over to Peter. "Did you guys find each other after the school was evacuated?"

"I had to stay home from school today actually, but Caden called and told me what was going on there," Peter explained with a smile directed towards both of them. "Then, I went over to the school to see how everyone was doing."

"Good thing you were able to check up on them because we couldn't leave our jobs," Noah said, sending a smile Peter's way. 

The conversation quickly died down, and Peter glanced at Caden who looked like he was about to have a breakdown at any second. His parents furrowed their brows at him, sharing a confused glance with each other and then looked to Peter for some type of answer. Before they could question what was happening, Caden spoke softly.

"Mom. Dad." Caden blew out a shaky breath. "I have to tell you guys something, and I'm really glad you're sitting down so you won't melodramatically faint or something."

Caden raised his blue eyes from his feet to the eyes of both of his parents, meeting each of their intent gazes for a few seconds before continuing.

"I... I'm gay."

Silence hung in the air for what seemed like years, and Caden blinked away tears that were forming because he could tell what he had predicted was coming true. The impending doom was upon them, and he just should've stayed quiet. He internally cursed himself, bringing his eyes back down to the floor.

"I've known it for a few years now, but yeah..." Caden started speaking again, and although Peter was right next to the boy, it was a struggle to hear him. Caden made fleeting eye contact with Peter, the blue in his eyes bright and watery with tears threatening to spill over. "I've learned recently that just because someone keeps something from you doesn't mean they don't care about you or want to lie to you. It just means they had a good reason otherwise they would've told you way earlier. I was scared for a long time of what you guys would think, so could someone maybe say something accepting so I don't regret any of this?"

"Caden," his father finally spoke up, his dark eyes shiny with tears, "your mother and I never want you or your sister to have to explain who you love to us. We're sorry that this seems so hard because we never wanted you guys to feel like this was a place where you wouldn't be expected for who you are."

Caden let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head as tears freely streamed down his face. Every bit of stress he had or anxious thought that plagued him went flowed out with the tears. 

His dad walked over to him, pulling him into a hug, both of them sobbing on each other's shoulders while his mother joined them. 

"Caden, we will love you no matter what," his mother said into the group hug, lovingly rubbing the backs of her son and her husband. "We never want you to be anxious about showing your true self to us. We want to be there for you and protect you all the way through, alright?"

She turned around to smile at Peter who stood in their kitchen, staring at the happy family moment with a grin of pride for Caden. The woman grabbed his arm, pulling him into the family hug. "C'mon, Peter, we're not leaving you out."

Peter smiled into the circle the group of four had formed while hugging. He reached for and eventually found Caden's hand, and with one tight squeeze, Caden knew everything Peter wanted to tell him.

Once out of the embracing exchange, everyone wiping tears off of their face with laughs, Caden hugged Peter tightly himself. They shared a wide smile before turning back to his parents with a blush on their cheeks.

Caden held up their hands that gripped to the others, not helping but smiling at Peter out of the corner of his eye. "Also, Peter and I are dating."

"I brought him into the family hug for a reason, Cade." His mom gave them both a wink, causing Caden's blush to deepen.

Peter felt like his heart was bursting, so much happiness flooding into his body at all once. 

"In other news, Tony Stark wants me to be his intern!" Caden announced to his parents in the same starstruck tone he had when accepting the man's offer earlier in the day. Peter and his parents looked at him with laughter in their bright eyes. 

Hours later when Peter was being forced to stay over for dinner, Julie and Noah rolling their eyes when Caden accused them of torturing his boyfriend, Tabitha arrived. 

Caden didn't need any prepping this time, instead walking into her room slowly with a small grin. "Hey, Tabby." He knocked on her door with a knuckle.

"What's up?" she questioned. Her eyes were instantly drawn to Peter who stood in her doorway behind Caden's hand that rested on the doorknob. She drew her brows together, narrowing her eyes at Caden.

"I just wanted to let you know that... I'm gay," Caden told her, breathing the same sigh when her eyebrows shot up. "I told Mom and Dad earlier when you were at your friend's house, and I just thought you should know, too."

She rushed over, grabbing Caden almost violently and forcing him into a hug which he reciprocated after a moment where a shocked smile grew on his lips. 

"I love you," she mumbled into his sweater material, smiling at him with excited blue eyes. 

"Peter and I are together." 

Caden could tell she was working everything out in her mind as he rushed out the sentence. She finally offered him another upturn of her lips, nodding slowly. "Caden Parker sounds a lot better anyways." She winked at him, laughter bubbling inside her after the couple blushed deeply after meeting eyes for a moment. 

A moment of realization hit her hard, and she sighed loudly, throwing herself onto her bed. "Now, I'm going to have two annoying brothers?!"

With that, Caden and Peter shook their heads, laughing all the way back to Caden's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this fic has just been exhausting at times but I’m emotional finishing it up I love these characters too much ah


	30. Thank God it’s Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what the title said

ONE MONTH LATER

In retrospect it was lucky that Peter was even standing awkwardly in the middle of a banquet hall in his newly rented tuxedo. Caden had only asked him to the junior prom less than a month ago, and they were lucky everything was able to work out as smoothly as it did. 

He still wasn't sure of how Caden had asked him so casually knowing that the event was creeping up close. 

The couple was sitting on Caden's huge leather chair in his living room, watching one of those humorous baking shows off of Netflix. 

Noah, Julie, and Tabitha had gone away for one of her weekend long swimming competitions, hesitantly leaving the keys to the house in Caden's care. It's not that they didn't trust him, but they weren't stupid. He had a boyfriend, and a house all alone to himself for the weekend.

It didn't make anything less awkward when Peter had walked in on Caden's parents convincing him to have a box of condoms in his room for protection. In the end, his parents trusted him with the house, and they were content knowing that if him and Peter were going to go all the way that they would be safe about it.

Meanwhile, they were doing nothing of the sort as they sat in comfortable silence, watching the bakers fail at pretty much everything they attempted.

In the middle of an episode, Caden paused the show, turning Peter's gaze to him with a hand under the boy's chin. "I have something-"

"Caden, I already know you're gay," Peter joked, pressing a kiss to his cheek and leaning to reach for the remote. 

The older boy snorted, and they shared an amused glance before Caden continued. "Are you doing anything on June third?"

Peter lifted his eyes to the ceiling, tapping his chin in a deep kind of comical thought before turning back to Caden with a grin. "Not that I know of. Am I supposed to be doing something that day?"

"Coming to prom with me?" Caden hopefully asked as if there was some way where Peter would say no. "If you want to obviously... Reese said he would take Ned as a friend if that would make you feel more comfortable."

Peter rolled his eyes, letting out a small laugh as Caden continued speaking. "You don't have to convince me, Argo. Lame promposal, but I'll go anyways."

Caden widely grinned at him, leaning in close to him and placing his hand on the back of Peter's neck to bring them closer and finally connect their lips in a sweet kiss. 

Keeping his eyes open while they were kissing was an odd experience for Peter, but he needed to find the remote somehow. He searched with his hand, feeling the remote on the ottoman a few inches away. Soon, Caden's hand were on both sides of Peter's face, and the smaller boy peaked over his shoulder, resuming the cooking show they'd been watching.

Caden whipped his head around in disbelief, turning back to Peter with a smile. He shook his head at the remote in the boy's hands, watching Peter giggle softly.

Peter watched all of his friends dancing around carefree with huge smiles on their faces. He wasn't much of a dancing person, but Jackie was determined to make him one by the end of the night if it killed her. 

He grinned as Caden walked over to him with a cup of water. "For your rigorous dancing," the boy teased him, kissing his cheek quickly before placing it on their table. 

Peter was always surprised at how easy it was for Caden to be fully out after he had came out to his family. He guessed it was the same for Jackie and MJ who weren't big fans of PDA but occasionally shared a kiss in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Peter was still shaky after constant harassment from Flash and his group.

Flash had recovered from his burns rather rapidly as Tony had kept a close eye on him and the rest of the boys, calling them in for testing every so often. Peter had heard from Tony that Flash and his family had started to go to some kind of therapy which Peter thought was better than him erasing everyone's memories. 

His friends beckoning him to take pictures with them pulled Peter out of his thoughts. Caden gave him a concerned glance, shaking his head with a laugh. 

"You okay?" Caden asked through his smile. The camera flash blinded all of the friends for a second then they all turned to one another to continue their conversations or crowd around Jackie's phone to see the photo.

Peter shrugged, forcing a smile onto his face. "Yeah. Just thinking I guess."

"About...?" Caden leaned in closer so he could hear Peter above the screaming jumping teenagers. He took Peter's hand in his, smiling softly down at him.

Peter shook his head, squeezing Caden's hand in reassurance. "It's nothing. Really. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Whatever you say, Lion." Caden pressed a long kiss to Peter's smiling lips, the brunet laughing as it was so unexpected. 

Jackie snapped a picture of them, capturing the moment before Peter almost fell over onto their table. Peter wrapped his arms around Caden's neck, his heart beating quickly from the scare. 

"Now that your heart rate's up, let's dance!" Reese yelled, grabbing Peter's hand and dragging him onto the dance floor. 

The rest of the group followed them, everyone dancing awkwardly but loving it. Reese was the best out of all of them. The group figured that since he listened to music all of the time, he had to have some dance moves up his sleeve. And, he did. Jackie even whispered to Peter between tired pants from jumping around that she's caught Reese dancing in his room plenty of times.

Jackie and Caden finally got Peter jumping around, successfully making him carefree for at least an hour until the prom court was called down to crown the winners. 

MJ muttered something about the whole idea of prom being solely a consumeristic celebration where gender roles are blatantly reinforced, causing uncomfort for all who didn't fit societal views. 

The table nodded in agreement - which was what the best course of action concerning anything MJ did - and Jackie spoke to Peter, smiling excitedly. 

"Instead of watching this snooze feast of some desperate girl getting crowned, I think everyone would enjoy if Spider-Man just flew in here for a quick second, don't ya think?" 

Peter laugh softly, shaking his head with a smile. He turned back to the group of boys and girls standing in front of the DJ, leaving Jackie to make a face at the back of his head.

Betty Brant was crowned Prom Queen with a frown when she had to face her infuriating coanchor and Prom King Jason Ionello. The two started off the slow dance, a cheesy Ed Sheeran song that everyone couldn't help but know the words to.

Reese and Ned hugged themselves, essentially slow dancing with themselves, next to the couples in their friend group. It was definitely a change from Homecoming, Peter concluded as he and Caden swayed with smiles on their faces. 

Soon enough, after multiple group photos, the couple found themselves sitting together away from the noise on a secluded bench in the backyard of the banquet hall. 

"Thank God it's over," Peter sighed out, shaking his head as he looked up at the bright moon.

Caden chuckled, turning away from the full moon to look at his boyfriend. "Sorry to rain on your parade, Lion, but there's still a good hour left of prom."

"I'm talking about this school year, actually. It's been exhausting on so many levels. Nothing good came out of it."

"Well, I'm sure you can think of one good thing," Caden said with small grin, his eyes sparkling with laughter.

Peter looked at him, eyebrows drawn together in faux confusion with his eyes squinted. "Being one year on T?"

Caden laughed, gesturing for Peter to keeping going. "Another good thing...?"

"Nothing's coming to me." Peter cracked a smile when Caden laughed, the older boy lacing their fingers together. 

"Thanks for coming to prom with me even though you totally didn't want to," Caden told Peter with a grin. Peter eyed him with a growing amused smile on his lips.

"What? I did so wanna go," Peter halfheartedly defended himself, making an offended expression in Caden's face as his boyfriend arched his brows. 

"Still... thanks. You may not feel like it, but you made tonight really special. I never imagined going to prom with anyone, much less my boyfriend, you know?"

Peter nodded with an understanding grin. "Of course I came to prom, Argo. I would do anything to make you happy because... well, because I love you."

A shocked smile grew on Caden's lips as he took in what Peter had said. Peter smiled back at him, a sense of relief prominent through a breathy sigh he let out. 

"Thank God!" Caden exclaimed, letting out a long exhale, shaking his head with a grin. 

Peter's brows quickly furrowed, and his gleeful smile turned uneasy rapidly. "What?" he questioned only to be cut off from Caden's rambling.

"-I wasn't sure whether or not we were starting completely over with our relationship or just picking up where we left off. I didn't know of the right moment when to say it, but I've felt it for a while. What I'm trying to say is that I love you, too, Peter Parker."

Peter's features immediately softened once the words hit him. The feeling that swelled in his chest was immense happiness. He bit his lip as he took everything in. What he was in was in love, and the boy he was in love with loved him back. 

The smile returned onto both of their faces before they met each other halfway for a soft kiss. Caden's hands played with the curls on the nape of Peter's neck. Peter pulled back from the kiss with a smile, the words he spoke fanned his hot breath over Caden's lips.

"So, now that that's settled..." he said with a small laugh. 

Caden leaned back, watching Peter talk through half-closed eyelids, a small smile tugging on his lips. "Is this what people mean when they talk about getting lucky on prom night?" he asked, breathing a laugh out of his nose when Peter's cheeks turned rosy.

The younger boy quickly rolled his eyes, an amused smile taking the place of his originally shocked open mouth. "Oh, absolutely," he answered, sarcasm spread over his tone. He suddenly became very serious, his voice lowering as he continued to speak. "Question: do you love Spider-Man?"

Caden made a face at him, pulling away his hand from Peter's. "Obviously, Lion, wow. Just for that I'll have to say I love him more than you."

Peter shook his head at his boyfriend, a permanent smile wide on his face. "Understandable."

Caden giggled to himself, grabbing Peter's hand again. He placed his other hand on Peter's cheek, kissing him gently with a smile. 

Caden stood up, still holding Peter's hand, eventually linking both of their hands together. "Hey, thanks for spilling milk on your sweater that one day," he softly said, and Peter had to strain to hear him above their screaming peers in the room behind them. 

Peter tilted his head, smiling sideways at Caden and at the memory and at everything they'd been through just to meet again and come back together in an even more beautiful way. 

Peter sighed happily, kissing Caden's knuckles before responding just as quietly. "Thank you for giving me yours and making me my own."

"Anything for you, Spidey," Caden teased, leaning down one last time to kiss his forehead, ruffling his curls as he stood up straight again. 

Caden pulled Peter to his feet, both of them laughing as Peter bumped into his chest, almost falling back onto the bench. They walked back into the banquet hall with linked hands.

Love made every song sound better to them. Even the horribly overplayed ones. And, they danced wildly throughout the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you thank you thank you to everyone who’s read this, left me kudos, and commented on it - it brightens up my day every single time and I appreciate it so much
> 
> I’ll never be able to fully thank you for giving me all of this support while writing this and I’ll be endlessly grateful :,)

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on Wattpad under the same username but I’m officially sharing this with AO3 too!!! leave some kudos and comments maybe??? thanks


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